Humza Yousaf Announces Resignation

Humza Yousaf has resigned as Scotland’s first minister after cutting ties with his government’s power-sharing partners.

The SNP leader, who only took on the role in March last year, has been at the centre of a chaotic few days at Holyrood after he made the surprise announcement to end his power-sharing deal with the Scottish Green Party on Thursday.

Mr. Yousaf cut ties following a bitter row over the SNP’s climbdown on climate targets, saying the agreement between the parties had “served its purpose.”

But as a result, his former Green allies teamed up with the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats to get behind two no-confidence motions, one regarding himself as leader of Scotland and another regarding the entire Scottish government.

Ahead of any of those votes taking place

Mr. Yousaf stepped down as Scotland’s first minister just after midday on Monday, saying he was “not willing to treat my values and principles or do deals with whomever simply to retain power.”

He said he will remain in post until a replacement first minister is chosen.

Over the weekend, Mr. Yousaf insisted he would not resign, but by Monday morning, his tune had changed, and news was told he was considering resigning.

He was due to meet the Alba Party’s sole MSP, Ash Regan, who was set to make demands in exchange for her support during a confidence vote. Her vote could have been the decider but he chose to step down before it came to that.

Announcing he was quitting, Mr Yousaf said he “clearly underestimated the level of hurt and upset” he caused the Greens when he cut ties with them.

“To my colleagues in opposition, regardless of political party, genuinely, I bear no ill will and certainly no grudge against anyone,” he said as his voice broke while thanking his wife, children, and family for “putting up with me over the years.”

Mr Yousaf said it had been “an honour” to serve as first minister of Scotland and it was a role he “could never have dreamt” of as a young boy growing up there.

Read more: Humza Yousaf Path to Success or Failure

The politician, whose parents are Pakistani and Kenyan,

He also said there is evidence multiculturalism has flourished in the UK.

“People who looked like me were not in positions of political influence, let alone leading governments, when I was younger,” he said.

“We now live in a UK that has a British Hindu prime minister, a Muslim mayor of London, a black Welsh first minister, and for a little while longer a Scottish Asian first minister of this country.

“So for those who decry that multiculturalism has failed across the UK, I would suggest that the evidence is quite to the contrary and that is something we should all celebrate.”

Mr Yousaf said he was proud to have overseen “the most progressive” tax system in the UK and played a part in lifting an expected 100,000 children out of poverty this year.

He added that he will continue to campaign for independence, which he said “feels frustratingly close,” and he is “absolutely certain” his successor will achieve it.

Who will replace Humza Yousaf?

The race to replace Mr Yousaf has now commenced, with a few names entering the fray, although none have officially thrown their hats in the ring.

John Swinney, a close ally of Mr. Yousaf and the former deputy leader under Nicola Sturgeon, is gaining popularity as the likely successor, with SNP deputy leader Keith Brown and others publicly encouraging him to stand for the position.

Numerous colleagues have urged Mr. Swinney to stand for the position, and he is seriously considering their entreaties, but he cautioned that there are many elements to ponder before making an announcement in the near future.

Connor Gillies, Scotland correspondent, stated that the elder statesman’s entry into the race would make it tough for other candidates to compete, given his respected standing and unquestioned integrity within the party.

However, sources close to Kate Forbes, who lost out to Mr. Yousaf during last year’s leadership contest, said the MSP was also “actively considering” another run for the top job.

Nicola Sturgeon,

whom Mr. Yousaf replaced after she resigned last year, said he had “conducted himself with grace, dignity, and integrity—both as first minister and in the manner of his leaving.”.According to Ms. Regan from Alba, it was peculiar that specific SNP MSPs advocated for Alba’s departure instead of negotiating with her pro-independence party, which is led by Alex Salmond.

Leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sawar, said his party was still considering pushing forward with their no confidence motion in the whole government, despite Mr. Yousaf’s exit, as they don’t believe the SNP can “provide the stable, competent leadership the country needs right now.”.

During his conversation with News, he also attacked his opponents for creating a third leadership transition in a short period, stating: “Nicola Sturgeon had cautioned against frequent leadership changes at 10 Downing Street when Rishi Sunak became the Conservative Party leader…” I think this exact same principle applies in Scotland, that it should be for the people of Scotland to decide who leads our country, not a backroom stitched up by the SNP or a handful of SNP members.”

Read more:Humza Yousaf’s Resilience Amid Adversity

The Scottish Conservatives,

who had brought the no confidence vote to the first minister, said they had “forced Humza Yousaf out of office for repeatedly failing Scotland.”.

“Faced with our vote of no confidence, the SNP leader has quit rather than face a humiliating defeat,” said leader Douglas Ross as he called for the next first minister to “abandon the nationalist obsession with independence.”.

The co-leader of the Scottish Green Party, was a little kinder, praising Mr. Yousaf’s “lovely” resignation speech and saying she was “sad to see that working relationship end” on a personal level.

But she told News’ Connor Gillies: “On a political level, the first minister made a political decision, and this is the inevitable fallout from that decision.”

She said it would be “very petty of the Tories” to press forward with their motion now that Mr. Yousaf has resigned.

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson declared that he plans to team up with the incoming replacement of Mr. Yousaf to tackle “the significant concerns of the populace” and People generally speaking are more concerned with their governments effectively addressing their concerns than delving into the complexities of politics.