# First Sturgeon government

Nicola Sturgeon formed the first Sturgeon government on 20 November 2014, following the resignation of previous SNP First Minister, Alex Salmond. Sturgeon, who had been Deputy First Minister under Salmond, was elected to succeed him by the SNP majority in the Scottish Parliament on 19 November 2014, before being officially sworn in in front of senior judges at the Court of Session the next day.
Sturgeon's cabinet dissolved on 18 May 2016 following the 2016 election to the 5th Scottish parliament, which saw Sturgeon returning to office and forming a second government.

## History

Following the defeat of the campaign for Scottish independence in a 2014 referendum, then First Minister Alex Salmond, who had arranged the referendum, announced that he would resign as Scottish National Party leader and first minister after a new leader was chosen. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon took the leadership unopposed at the SNP's annual conference on 14 November 2014. This also effectively made her First Minister-designate, given the SNP's outright majority in the Scottish Parliament. She was elected to succeed Salmond as First Minister by the Scottish Parliament on 19 November, and formally appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on the next day.
On 21 November 2014 Sturgeon's first cabinet was announced. It was formed of ten people: Sturgeon and nine cabinet secretaries. It was gender-balanced with five men and five women. There were thirteen junior ministerial positions outwith the cabinet.
* This article is part of a series aboutNicola Sturgeon
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2015
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## Cabinet
### November 2014 to May 2016

I Cabinet of Nicola Sturgeon :
| Portfolio | Minister | Term |
| Cabinet secretaries |||||
| First Minister | The Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP | 2014–2023 |
| Deputy First Minister | John Swinney MSP | 2014–2023 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution & Economy | John Swinney MSP | 2007–2016 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities | Keith Brown MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills & Training | Roseanna Cunningham MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Education & Lifelong Learning | Angela Constance MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing & Sport | Shona Robison MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights | Alex Neil MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Justice | Michael Matheson MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment | Richard Lochhead MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs | Fiona Hyslop MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Also attending cabinet meetings |||||
| Permanent Secretary | Leslie Evans | 2015–2022 |
| Minister for Parliamentary Business | George Adam MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Lord Advocate | The Rt Hon. Frank Mulholland QC | 2011–2016 |

#### Changes

* Sir Peter Housden stood down as the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish government in June 2015 and was succeeded by Leslie Evans the following month.

## Junior Ministers

Junior ministers :
| Post | Minister | Term |
| Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism | Fergus Ewing MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Parliamentary Business | Joe Fitzpatrick MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Transport and Islands | Derek Mackay MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Youth and Women's Employment | Annabelle Ewing MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Children and Young People | Aileen Campbell MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages | Dr Alasdair Allan MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Public Health | Maureen Watt MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health | Jamie Hepburn MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment | Marco Biagi MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Housing and Welfare | Margaret Burgess MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs | Paul Wheelhouse MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform | Dr Aileen McLeod MSP | 2014–2016 |
| Minister for Europe and International Development | Humza Yousaf MSP | 2014–2016 |

## Scottish Law Officers

Law officers :
| Post | Name | Portrait | Term |
| Lord Advocate | The Right Hon. Frank Mulholland QC | | 2011–2016 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Lesley Thomson QC | | 2011–2016 |