Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead has resigned from the Cabinet. Lochhead resigned his post ahead of a reshuffle by first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The former rural affairs secretary, who has served for nine years, said “The time has come to change the priorities in my life especially in light of recent family circumstances,” upon resigning his post. Lochhead’s wife Fiona has been diagnosed with cancer and the pair have two young sons.

Before stepping down, Lochhead came under fire for his part in the government’s handling of 2015 farm payments, which have been severely delayed. The Scottish government’s multi-million pound new IT system and complications arising from the first year of the new payment scheme have been blamed for the delays, which farm unions said have led to a cash flow crisis in rural Scotland, affecting both farm businesses and ancillary industries.   

According to BBC reports, Scotland’s Social Justice minister Alex Neil has also resigned and Deputy FM John Swinney is set to have his portfolio split into two roles.