Scottish political veteran John Swinney on Monday was named head of the pro-independence SNP party, leaving him poised to become Scotland's new leader.

Swinney, 60, said on X, formerly Twitter, he was "deeply honoured to have been elected as leader of the SNP" after Humza Yousaf resigned last week after little more than a year as Scottish leader and head of the Scottish National Party (SNP).

The SNP confirmed Swinney's election after nominations for the post closed at noon (1100 GMT) without any other challengers emerging.

He told reporters later that alongside advancing the case for Scottish independence his key policy idea was the eradication of child poverty.

"It is a curse and under my leadership I want to eradicate it in Scotland," he said.

On independence he said the party would "get our act together" to win back the votes of supporters who may have turned away from the party in recent years.

Humza stepped down last Monday as he faced a confidence vote in the Scottish parliament that he was set to lose having ditched his junior coalition partners, the Scottish Green Party, in a row over climate policy.

Swinney, an old party hand who led the SNP from 2000 to 2004 when the nationalists were in opposition, will now face a vote in the Scottish parliament later this week.

But he inherits a difficult political legacy, with former SNP leader and ally Nicola Sturgeon embroiled in a party funding scandal and a challenging domestic policy landscape. (AFP)