Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf speaks during a press conference on April 29 at Bute House in Edinburgh, Britain, where he said he will resign as SNP leader and Scotland's First Minister, avoiding having to face a no-confidence vote in his leadershipAndrew Milligan/Reuters
Humza Yousaf was hailed as a breakthrough leader when he took over as head of the Scottish National Party and First Minister of Scotland a year ago.
The 39-year-old was the first Muslim to lead a major political party in Britain, and he won widespread compassion last fall when his relatives were trapped in Gaza for three weeks as Israel launched its military campaign against Hamas fighters.
But on Monday, Mr. Yousaf abruptly announced his resignation after badly mishandling a breakup with the SNP’s coalition partner, the Scottish Green Party, and then vowing to fight on as the leader of a minority government. His miscalculation provoked the Greens and other opposition parties to unite behind a motion of non-confidence in him as First Minister, which is almost certain to pass when it comes up for a vote later this week.
After spending the weekend trying to rebuild support in the legislature, Mr. Yousaf finally acknowledged that his position was untenable.
“While a route through this week’s motion of no confidence was absolutely possible, I am not willing to trade my values and principles or do deals with whomever simply for retaining power,” he said during a press conference in Edinburgh on Monday. “Therefore, after spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government and for the country I lead, I have concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm.”
He plans to remain First Minister until the SNP selects a new leader, likely within a few weeks.
Mr. Yousaf replaced SNP veteran Nicola Sturgeon as leader in March, 2023, but his hold over the party’s disparate factions was tenuous. He narrowly won a bruising leadership race against fellow cabinet minister Kate Forbes, winning 52 per cent of the vote among party members.
He made a pitch to renew the SNP, which has been in power for 17 years, but he was seen by many voters as a bland continuation of Ms. Sturgeon’s program, which has grown increasingly out of favour. In a nod to the public’s waning interest in another referendum on Scottish independence, Mr. Yousaf promised to deliver good governance before pressing ahead with a vote on sovereignty. That left him open to criticism from staunch nationalists who felt he was moving too slowly.
It didn’t help that the SNP has been mired in a prolonged police investigation into the party’s finances that contributed to Ms. Sturgeon’s resignation in February, 2023. Earlier this month, Ms. Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, who had been the SNP’s long-time chief executive, was charged with embezzlement. Police have also questioned Ms. Sturgeon along with other party officials.
Mr. Yousaf has also been dogged by a series of controversial policies, including legislation to make it easier for people as young as 16 to change their gender through self-identification. A new hate-crime law has been widely criticized for infringing on free speech, and there has been growing public discontent with the state of Scotland’s health care system, schools and rampant drug abuse.
The falling out with the Greens, who had been a coalition partner with the SNP since 2021, came to a head last week after the government announced it was scrapping plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent by 2030. Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie said he was angry and disappointed by the decision and called for a vote among his party’s members on whether to remain in the coalition.
Mr. Yousaf responded at first by saying he valued the coalition agreement. Then, last Thursday, he announced he was ending the arrangement, arguing it had served its purpose. That prompted the two main opposition parties – Labour and the Conservatives – to file separate motions of no confidence in the government and Mr. Yousaf as First Minister.
Mr. Harvie made it clear on Monday that the Greens backed the motion to oust Mr. Yousaf as First Minister, but that the party would consider supporting an SNP minority government under a new leader.
“The SNP is still the largest party in Parliament by some distance, and has the right to form a minority government,” Mr. Harvie said. “The Scottish Greens have a long track record of working constructively from opposition and will do so with any first minister who shares our progressive values and who can secure our confidence.”
Ms. Forbes, 34, is expected to be a leading contender to replace Mr. Yousaf, along with John Swinney, 60, who is the party’s former deputy leader.
James Mitchell, a professor of public policy at the University of Edinburgh, said the SNP led an effective minority government from 2007 to 2011 under former first minister Alex Salmond. However, he said that after the 2014 referendum on independence, when Scots rejected sovereignty by 55 per cent to 45 per cent, the SNP under Ms. Sturgeon focused too much on holding a second referendum.
“They have neglected the everyday business of governing, the kind of things that affect people like schools, hospitals and health care.”
That has made the political atmosphere far more toxic, he added, and the government will struggle to win support from the other parties to get legislation passed. Whoever wins the leadership, “they are going to have to park the issue of independence for the moment,” he said.