John Swinney says he wants to boost immigration into Scotland to solve the Brexit worker crisis

Newly elected Prime Minister John Swinney wants more immigrants to solve the labor shortages caused by Brexit.

John Swinney said his first demand from Westminster is for Holyrood to be given extra powers to boost economic growth by increasing its population.

Swinney is certain to become the next Prime Minister after rival Kate Forbes revealed she would not want to be leader of the SNP.

The 60-year-old could be sworn in as Humza Yousaf’s successor next week and Forbes is expected to get a top cabinet job.

Swinney has promised to return the SNP to the “mainstream” and speculation is rife about his policy agenda.

The MSP gave a speech on 25 years of handover to the Resolution Foundation on Monday – the day Yousaf resigned.

Asked about one power he would like to transfer from Westminster, he said:

“I think the area that needs to be explored is the forces to create significantly more economic opportunities.

“I think these cover areas around employment policy, around business policy and around population policy.

“We all know that population growth is an important driver of economic growth.”

Business leaders have complained about Brexit-related shortages in areas ranging from bus drivers to healthcare workers.

Swinney said Labour’s Fresh Talent Initiative of 20 years ago – which gave Holyrood flexibility on immigration – was successful.

He added: “If you look back, over the last 25 years, Scotland faced an acute problem in terms of the size of its working population at the start of the 21st century.

“These concerns were largely allayed by the EU’s enlargement in 2004 and the migration that followed, which grew our working population.

“It is now a crucial factor post-Brexit because of the migration challenges. So I think that’s the scope.”

Swinney’s comments were made three days before he announced his candidacy.

Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar has also said he would back a new version of Fresh Talent if Keir Starmer becomes Prime Minister.

An SNP source said a follow-up plan could be negotiated if a future Labor government was willing to come around the table.

Meanwhile, an SNP cabinet secretary said party members did not want to see a repeat of last year’s “hurtful” leadership contest.

Nominations for SNP leader close on Monday and potential candidates to run against Swinney have ruled themselves out.

Net Zero secretary Mairi McAllan, who introduced Swinney at his campaign launch in Edinburgh, said he is the “right man” to unite the party.

She also spoke about last year’s match between Yousaf, Forbes and Ash Regan, who has since defected to Alba:

“There is a feeling within the party that the last battle was particularly painful, and I think there is definitely a feeling among members and activists that many of us would not like to see this again.

“I think the biggest deciding factor so far has been John Swinney’s status as someone who has come forward.

“He is well-liked and respected within our party and I think, most importantly, he enjoys the confidence of the Scottish people, which we in the SNP know is exactly what is needed now.”

She rejected claims that Swinney, who previously led the SNP between 2000 and 2004, is “yesterday’s man”.

He also served as Nicola Sturgeon’s deputy for more than eight years, while also holding some of the biggest cabinet positions in education and finance.

McAllan said: “John was very clear: the SNP has admittedly been through a difficult period. He is the right man to unite our party at this time.”

She rejected claims that the Scottish independence movement is on the rocks.

“Independence is not dead for a generation,” she said.

“We are in a situation in Scotland where half the population, between elections, supports our nation’s independence.”

In another development, Green MSP Gillian Mackay said her party would likely work with the next Prime Minister “on an issue-by-issue basis”.

She said a new Bute House deal, which was canceled by Yousaf and cost him his job, is “very, very unlikely”.

She also said the Greens “have not made any decision” on how the party will vote when the decision to select a new first minister is put to Holyrood.

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