Humza Yousaf: Scottish first minister chokes up in emotional resignation speech

As Humza Yousaf put it in his resignation speech today, “politics can be a brutal business”.

This marked the end of a long career, which saw him rise through the ranks to become the first Scottish First Minister from an Asian background.

He began in 2009 as a political staffer, first working for Bashir Ahmad – Scotland’s first Muslim MSP – and then first minister Alex Salmond and his deputy Nicola Sturgeon.

In 2011, Yousaf was one of the new nationalist MSPs who swept to Holyrood in the first majority the Scottish Parliament had seen.

The regional MSP for Glasgow spent his first year on the backbenches, before being tipped for ministerial office by Salmond following a year as his parliamentary aide.

First taking on the external affairs and international development role, Yousaf would be moved to transport after four years.

Yousaf, who became Glasgow Pollock MSP in 2016, joined the cabinet in 2018 as justice secretary, where he would face his toughest parliamentary test of getting the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill passed.

In 2021, then-first minister Sturgeon appointed him health secretary, taking him with guiding Scotland through the Covid-19 pandemic.

After the shock resignation last year of Sturgeon – a woman Yousaf heralded as a mentor – he would throw his hat in the ring as the obvious candidate to continue her legacy.

He narrowly defeated Kate Forbes by 52% to 48% in the second round of voting, following a bitter civil war, and was appointed first minister on 29 March.

Within a week, he faced a major challenge, as Sturgeon’s husband, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell was arrested over alleged inappropriate spending of £600,000 in campaign funds.

Subsequently, former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie and Sturgeon herself would be arrested, with all three being released without charge pending investigation.

As well as dealing with this fallout, the first 12 months of Yousaf’s tenure as first minister would be punctuated by U-turns, rancour within the party and defections.

His time in power came to an end after Yousaf ended the SNP’s cooperation deal with the Greens on Thursday following disagreements over gender rights and climate targets, leading to a pending no confidence vote which persuaded him to resign.

An SNP Minister has warned Kate Forbes would need Tory support to become the next First Minister.

The senior Government figure said some SNP MSPs would not vote for her and claimed she would have to rely on the Conservatives.

Read the full story from the Daily Record.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has said claims that he played a key role in Humza Yousaf’s downfall are “a lie”.

Speaking to the PA news agency outside Parliament, the Aberdeen South MP said: “Anyone positing that argument is doing so without the facts in place, it is in effect a lie, it is not true. Nobody goes into the first minister’s house and tells them what to do, let alone me. Any individual pushing this argument is overstating my influence and is perhaps overestimating their own abilities politically.

“The reality is that myself and the First Minister, of course, discussed the situation with regards to the Bute House Agreement. I believe he made the right choice. I was not aware of the plan that was in place. We discussed the pros and the cons.”

He added: “The first minister has himself said today that he misjudged the response from the Greens and, of course, the plan that was put in place by the first minister and his advisers has obviously not come to fruition, but that doesn’t mean the decision was wrong. The decision was the right one.”

Asked whether he thinks there should be an election in Scotland given his previous calls for a general election following changes made by the UK government, for example when he claimed the Tories wanted to use Scottish jobs to fund tax breaks following the spring budget, he said: “The difference between Westminster and Holyrood is that MSPs in Holyrood elect the first minister.

“Nobody in Westminster elects a prime minister, they simply become prime minister on the basis of being the leader of the largest party, so there’s an inherent difference between the arguments there.”

He added that Labour were keen to push for a Scottish election despite the similar process for electing new Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething, who could “well be getting moved on in the not too distant future”, and that other parties would “do well to focus on their own houses rather than ours”.

Humza Yousaf has announced he is resigning as First Minister of Scotland.

Delivering a statement at Bute House in Edinburgh on Monday, he said he will continue in the role until his successor as leader of the SNP has been chosen.

Read his full statement from The Telegraph.

Kate Forbes has refused to address whether she will run for the SNP leadership in her first statement since Humza Yousaf resigned as First Minister.

The former finance secretary said Yousaf is "an honourable man" who "cared passionately" about Scotland.

Yousaf beat Forbes in the SNP leadership contest with 52 per cent of the vote after the second round.

Read the full story from the Daily Record.

Speaking outside an event he attended in London, possible party leadership contender SNP MSP John Swinney said: “The Scottish government in the years ahead is going to have to find agreement with people of other persuasions because you can’t pass a budget without a majority in parliament, you can’t pass a law without a majority in parliament.

“So, it’s really important that we work with other political parties to make sure that we are in position to govern effectively and wisely in the interests of everyone within Scotland.”

He added: “I’ve always believed that the right place for the Scottish National Party is as a moderate left of centre political party in the mainstream tradition of Scottish public opinion.

“You only ever win success if you’re in line with the mainstream of public opinion in the country and that’s where I’ve always endeavoured to make sure the SNP was positioned, and I think that’s where the SNP should be positioned in the future.”

Humza Yousaf has stepped down as Scotland’s first minister after failing to secure enough cross-party support to survive a major crisis with the Scottish Greens.

His resignation on Monday has thrown the Scottish National party into crisis, a little over a year after he took office, with the party’s former leader John Swinney quickly emerging as the favourite to become Scotland’s next first minister. Various bookmakers said they had stopped taking bets on Swinney.

Read the full story from The Guardian.

The people of Scotland deserve a government “focused on what they care about” and not “obsessing about independence”, the prime mnister has said.

Responding to the resignation of Humza Yousaf, Rishi Sunak told ITV News: “We haven’t seen the details yet of what’s happening in Scotland, but what people in Scotland deserve is a government that is focused on what they care about and not constitutional wrangling and obsessing about independence.

“From the moment I got this job, I said that I’m happy to work constructively with the government in Scotland to deliver for people on the things they care about, which is why we have brought freeports to Scotland, attracting jobs and investment.

“And what the SNP government should be focused on us day-to-day issues like the economy, like the NHS, not obsessing about independence or, indeed, gender recognition.”

The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn is believed to have played a pivotal role in Humza Yousaf’s downfall.

The Aberdeen MP is said to have applied pressure to Yousaf to end the coalition deal with the Scottish Greens, which was being blamed by many in the party for the SNP’s plummeting poll ratings.

Read the full story from The Telegraph.

Asked if he was considering standing to be Scotland’s next first minister, SNP MSP and former deputy first minister John Swinney said: “I’m giving very careful consideration to standing to be the leader of the SNP.

“I’ve been somewhat overwhelmed by the requests that have been made for me to do that.”

He said he had “many” requests from colleagues to stand and plans to carefully consider whether or not to stand and to discuss it with his family.

“I’m giving the issue (of standing for SNP leader) very careful consideration and it’s likely I’ll have more to say on that in the days to come," he said.

Questioned if there should be a snap Scottish Parliament election, he said: “Parliaments like the Scottish Parliament are elected for a fixed term. It’s a five-year period and we should see out that five-year period.

“Yes there’s changes of personnel and leadership during that period but the parliament was elected for five years and should sit for five years.”

SNP depute leader Keith Brown thanked Humza Yousaf for his leadership.

Following Yousaf’s resignation, he said: “On behalf of the party I want to thank Humza for his commitment and dedication to the SNP, Scotland and independence. In his time as leader and first minister he has been resolutely focussed on the needs of the people of our country.

“While we prepare to elect our new leader, the SNP will continue to stand up for Scotland and work to build a stronger, fairer, wealthier country where decisions about Scotland are taken in Scotland.”

As Humza Yousaf announced his resignation today, he called on opposition parties to “act in good faith”, rather than “oppose for opposition’s sake”.

It will be seen by many as a passing jibe at the Scottish Greens, with whom he found himself in a political row after their powersharing deal broke down.

It was the beginning of the end for Yousaf when on Thursday last week Scotland’s first minister ended the Bute House Agreement – a cooperation deal between the SNP and the Scottish Greens.

Yousaf said the coalition at “served its purpose”, after relations had broken down the previous week, partly over the Scottish government dropping its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.

The two parties also clashed over how Scotland should respond to the Cass review into gender identity care for young people.

Following the review in England and Wales, the Holyrood government decided to pause the prescription of puberty blockers to new patients at Scotland’s only gender services clinic for young people in Glasgow, which angered the Greens.

Not long after sacking his Green partners from their government roles, Yousaf faced a no-confidence motion expected to be held this week.

His former SNP leadership rival Ash Regan, who defected to Alex Salmond’s Alba party in October, was expected to have the deciding vote, which would have put Yousaf in a particularly vulnerable position.

The UK Government will work with Humza Yousaf’s successor to deliver on “the real issues that matter to people”, Downing Street has said.

Reacting to the first minister’s resignation, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “When the first minister came to office he and the prime minister talked about wanting to work together to focus on the real issues that matter to people.

“I haven’t, obviously, seen the news that you’ve reported on, but clearly if that’s the case, the UK government will work with the new administration to the same end, which is working together to deliver for people in Scotland, whether it’s growing the economy, delivering jobs, enhancing energy security.

“For most people, they don’t want to be distracted by the ins and outs of politics, they want to see their governments working together to deliver on their priorities.”

The Scottish Greens have said Humza Yousaf’s resignation as First Minister was the “right” decision.

The party’s co-leader Patrick Harvie said the development was “regrettable” but welcomed the “personal responsibility” Yousaf has taken.

He said: “Humza Yousaf is right to resign. His position was no longer tenable after he broke the bonds of trust with the Scottish Greens and with everyone who wanted a stable, progressive, pro-independence government. It is regrettable that it has ended this way, it didn’t need to. We draw no satisfaction or pleasure from this.

“But the Scottish Greens could no longer have confidence in Humza Yousaf after he chose to unilaterally end the Bute House Agreement. In doing so he let down the large majority of Scottish Green and SNP members who approved the agreement who wanted it to work.

“He chose to end a stable majority government and jeopardised the progressive policy programme that both parties had committed to and were working to deliver.

“It is to his credit that he has taken personal responsibility. Now though is the time to return to some stability.”

Any contest to replace Humza Yousaf will present the Scottish National arty with a significant problem: it has very few contenders with the experience and profile voters would expect to lead the Scottish government.

Read the full story from The Guardian.

Now that Humza Yousaf has announced his resignation, a deadline will be set for potential future leaders to throw their hats into the ring.

Candidates need at least 100 nominations from SNP members covering at least 20 geographical branches in order to stand, electoral-reform.org.uk says.

Those who make it past this stage will then face voting from the party membership, who will rank the candidates in order of preference using the Alternative Vote.

Each voter gets to rank their preferred candidates from one to three. If one candidate receives more than half of everyone’s first preference votes, then they will secure their place as party leader.

If that doesn’t happen, then the last-placed candidate will be knocked out. Rather than chucking these ballots away, counters then take them and transfer the vote to the second choice candidates.

This process is repeated until a candidate comes out on top with more than half of the vote.

A number of hustings will be held to give members a chance to hear from all of the candidates before casting their ballot.

First Minister Humza Yousaf has said he had “underestimated” the level of hurt ending the power-sharing deal with the Greens would have.

While he insisted it had been “the right decision”, he added: “Unfortunately in ending the Bute House Agreement in the matter I did I clearly underestimate the level of hurt and upset that caused Green colleagues.

“For a minority government to be able to govern effectively trust when working with the opposition is clearly fundamental.”

He added a route through the no-confidence vote was “absolutely possible”.

But he added: “I am not willing to trade in my values or principles or do deals with whomever simply for retaining power.”

Assuring his colleagues on both sides of the aisles that he had "no ill will" and "no grudge" over the end of his tenure as Scotland's first minister, Yousaf said: "Politics can be a brutal business

Humza Yousaf has said he will resign as SNP leader and Scotland’s First Minister.

Yousaf had been battling for his political survival after terminating the powersharing deal between the SNP and Scottish Greens on Thursday.

He was facing a vote of no confidence, tabled by the Scottish Conservatives, while Scottish Labour had tabled one of no confidence in the Scottish Government as a whole, with both expected to take place this week.

With Humza Yousaf widely expected to announce his resignation today, here's who has been tipped to replace him as SNP leader so far.

Former finance secretary Kate Forbes may take a shot at leadership again after narrowly losing to Yousaf in last year’s contest.

She previously said “continuity won’t cut it” and that the party needs a change in direction, but the Christian’s opposition to gay marriage and children being born out of wedlock could hold her back.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, who served as a junior minister under Nicola Sturgeon, may also go for the job. Health Secretary Neil Gray has also been tipped to throw his hat into the ring, but some day the former Westminster MP, who switched to Holyrood in 2021, may be too close to Yousaf.

Westminster’s SNP leader Stephen Flynn has also been touted as a potential replacement, with similar predictions being made if Yousaf were to resign after the 2026 Holyrood election.

He has the political standing for the job, however he would be expected to leave Westminster to take the new role, which could complicate matters. He is also viewed as having a hand in Yousaf’s decision to end the coalition with the Greens, which has prompted this current political crisis.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said that the situation with Humza Yousaf and the SNP is “absolute chaos” and called for a “fresh start” in Scotland.

“I despair at the situation in Scotland – it’s absolute chaos now from the Scottish parliament, from the SNP. So you’ve got chaos in the Scottish parliament, chaos in the Westminster parliament,” Sir Keir said.

He said the Scottish People have been “fundamentally let down” and “all the SNP can offer is chaos.”

He added: “We’ve got to turn the page on this now – we need that general election and a fresh start.”

Humza Yousaf is reportedly set to announce his resignation as Scotland’s First Minister on Monday. We take a look at what could happen next.

What happens when Humza Yousaf stands down?

Yousaf may announce his intention to resign but remain in post for several weeks while a SNP leadership election takes place.

Read the full story from the Telegraph.

Former Scottish deputy first minister John Swinney said it would be a “difficult day”.

Swinney, who served as deputy under Nicola Sturgeon, was asked about current events in Scottish politics as he appeared at an event held by the Resolution Foundation on 25 years of devolution.

“We face a difficult day today,” the former deputy first minister said.

“The first minister is going to make a statement later on today, I think it is best if I let the First Minister speak for himself.”

Asked if we would want to be first minister, Swinney, who has been in the Scottish Parliament since it was established in 1999, he said it was a “very demanding role”.

He added: “I will consider what the first minister says and reflect on that. I may well have more to say at a later stage during the week.”

Scottish people should have the chance to vote in a Holyrood election due to “chaos” under the SNP, Labour’s deputy national campaign coordinator has said.

Ellie Reeves told Sky News: “No-one voted for Humza Yousaf and given all of the chaos I think there should be an election up in Scotland so that people in Scotland can have their say on what’s happening up there.

“At the moment they are being failed by an SNP government in Holyrood and a Conservative Government in Westminster.”

While we don't know for certain what Yousaf is planning to say at today's press conference, he has been fighting for his job since last week and his prospects are not looking good.

Even if he doesn't announce his resignation at midday today, as many are expecting, he still faces a no-confidence vote.

With so much political turmoil in Holyrood, some politicians are calling for an election to reach a consensus with the people of Scotland and to regain some sense of stability within its Parliament.

Labour’s deputy national campaign coordinator, Ellie Reeves, told Sky News: "No-one voted for Humza Yousaf and given all of the chaos I think there should be an election up in Scotland so that people in Scotland can have their say on what’s happening up there.

“At the moment they are being failed by an SNP government in Holyrood and a Conservative Government in Westminster.”

Asked last week by Sky News if there would be an election if he lost a no-confidence vote, Yousaf said he "can't rule it out".

All eyes will be on former deputy first minister John Swinney in the race to succeed Humza Yousaf.

A Swinney-less field could result in another bitter and nasty SNP leadership contest. It could pit Kate Forbes, who lost last year to Yousaf, against a Cabinet Secretary such as Jenny Gilruth.

Forbes would be favourite but her social conservatism - she said she would have voted against gay marriage - would rip the SNP apart. Swinney, who was a Cabinet ever-present between 2007 and 2023, would clear the field.

Read a full analysis of what happens next from the Daily Record's Paul Hutcheson here

A senior SNP figure has indicated Humza Yousaf will address resignation rumours within hours.

Asked about his leader's future by Sky News, John Swinney - who served as deputy first minister from 2014 to 2023 said: "There’s a lot to happen today, and we’ll wait to hear what the FM’s got to say later on today."

With Humza Yousaf reportedly on the cusp of quitting, attention now turns to his replacement.

Some of the key names include Kate Forbes, who lost to Yousaf in the leadership election last year, SNP education secretary Jenny Gilruth, health secretary Neil Gray, and the SNP's party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn.

Read a full breakdown of the runners and riders from the Telegraph

Yousaf was born in 1985 in Rutherglen, near Glasgow, the child of Punjabi-Pakistani immigrants.

His father, Muzaffar Yousaf, arrived in the UK from Pakistan in the early 1960s with almost no spoken English. His mother, Shaaista Bhutta, arrived in the UK from Kenya, where she and her parents had suffered racism, sometimes violent.

He has often spoken of his pride in his background and of his parents’ story as immigrants to Scotland. He took his oath of office in both English and Urdu.

He is married to his second wife, Nadia El-Nakla, who serves as an SNP councillor in Dundee. They have one child together and are expecting another this summer; he is also stepfather to her daughter.

In 2021, the couple launched a legal challenge against a Dundee nursery that twice declined one of their children a place. Having suspected there was discrimination at play, El-Nakla and a friend applied for places for fictitious children using “white-sounding names” – and were accepted.

Yousaf unpacked the incident in a Twitter thread, describing how a reporter for the Daily Record newspaper was able to achieve the same outcome with another false application.

He has made much of the importance of looking after his children despite holding the top job in Scotland, and will be taking paternity leave when his next child is born.

The leader of the Scottish Tories has posted a pre-emptive celebratory message on X (formerly Twitter).

Douglas Ross, who lodged a motion of no confidence in Mr Yousaf, had rebuffed any offers of compromise from Yousaf.

Yousaf wrote to party leaders on Friday night in a bid to find “common ground”. However, Ross said in response on Saturday: “The only letter Humza Yousaf should be writing is one offering his resignation.

“He says it’s important for the Scottish people, communities and businesses to have effective government as if he’s just discovered it, when he is the one who has ignored their priorities and failed to listen to concerns."

On Monday, Ross's message implied Yousaf's resignation was a done deal.

Rumours around Yousaf's potential resignation have gathered pace since he ended the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens last week.

On Monday, SNP MSP Michelle Thomson acknowledged she had heard “rumours” the first minister was considering stepping down rather than facing a vote of no confidence.

Thomson, who was part of Kate Forbes’ unsuccessful campaign for leadership last year, said: “I’m hearing the same rumours (that the First Minister is considering stepping down) and I think we’re all waiting to see what the actual position is.

“I guess the rumours suggest that something is afoot, but I honestly can’t clarify because I’ve had no update nor, as I understand have my MSP group, so I guess we’ll all hear definitively one way or another this morning.”

Thomson went on to describe the First Minister as an “honourable man” who was “well liked” within the SNP Holyrood group.

As pressure mounts on Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has said he bears no “personal ill will” against him. - but insisted he needs to step down.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, the former government minister, who was fired when the Bute House Agreement was scrapped, Harvie said: “I do want to say there is a human impact to all of this, a human element to all of this, I don’t bear Humza Yousaf personal ill will or malice in any way at all and I take no pleasure at all, none of us in the Greens do, in turbulence and chaos over the last week or two.

“But it is clear that Humza Yousaf, in the decision that he made last week has broken trust with the Scottish Greens, cannot command a majority in Parliament and we stand ready to work with someone who can.

“I think opposition parties have a responsibility to play their part, it’s been done before, it can be done again, but Humza Yousaf, I’m really sorry to say, is no longer in a position to do that, because it has to depend on trust.”