Humza Yousaf has said he will not resign as Scotland‘s first minister and intends to carry on in the role. Mr Yousaf is fighting for his political future ahead of a no-confidence vote next week.
He said he was confident he will win the vote, and that he hoped the Scottish Greens would change their mind about voting to remove him.
He also said he would “absolutely” lead the SNP into the general election and the 2026 Holyrood election.Mr Yousaf denied claims by his opponents that he is now a “lame duck” first minister following the collapse on Thursday of the SNP’s power-sharing agreement with the Greens.
The two pro-independence parties had formed the Scottish government since 2021, with Mr Yousaf now planning to run a minority government in the Scottish Parliament.
It means the government will not have enough seats in parliament to pass laws without the support of some opposition MSPs. Mr Yousaf will write to opposition party leaders – including the Greens – to ask them to meet him in an attempt to “make minority government workHe said of the Greens: “I do hope they will reconsider their position because there is a lot of issues, a lot of priorities, that both the SNP and the Greens share”.
Mr Yousaf said ending the power-sharing deal was the right thing to do, but he did not mean to upset or anger the Greens.
He said he hoped to work with opposition parties “issue by issue” in order to “deliver for the people of Scotland”, but acknowledged that minority government was “tough”.
The first minister was speaking during a visit in Dundee that was arranged at short notice after he pulled out of a speech on independence in Glasgow.
He used the visit to announce £80m of funding for affordable housing projects in Scotland.Mr Yousaf is battling to save his position after his former Green allies vowed to oppose him in a no confidence motion that was lodged by the Scottish Conservatives.
The Conservatives have said that Mr Yousaf “needs to go”, with leader Douglas Ross saying: “Humza Yousaf has failed Scotland, his government is in meltdown and, despite his bluster, he knows he’s finished.
“He has the cheek to claim he now seeks compromise with opposition parties when he and the SNP have divided Scotland at every turn. The only letter I want to see from Humza Yousaf is one announcing his resignation.”
The vote is expected to be held next week. Mr Yousaf would not be obliged to stand down if he loses – but would be expected to do so.With Labour and the Liberal Democrats saying they will join the Conservatives and Greens in voting against him, Mr Yousaf would lose the confidence vote unless he wins the support of Alba Party MSP Ash Regan.
Ms Regan is a former SNP MSP who was defeated by Mr Yousaf in last year’s party leadership contest before later defecting to Alba, which is led by Alex Salmond.
Mr Yousaf said at the time that she was “not a particularly great loss”, and the BBC understands he would find it difficult to come to an arrangement with her.
Who is Ash Regan, the Alba MSP who could be key to Yousaf’s fate-
Ms Regan – a vocal critic of the Scottish government’s policies on trans rights and its partnership with the Greens – said she wanted to see progress on Scottish independence, competent government and defending “the rights of women and children” in return for her backing.She said: “I would relish the opportunity to sit down and talk through these areas and see if there are areas where we might be able to agree and work together”.
Labour has also announced that they intend to hold a vote of no confidence in the Scottish government as a whole, which could lead to an election if it succeeds. The Scottish Lib Dems have said they will support the motion, meaning it will pass the threshold of 25 MSPs required to secure a debate.
Source: BBC
In other news – Shakira talks about love and loyalty after Gerard Piqué split
Shakira has opened up about making personal sacrifices in relationships following her breakup with Gerard Piqué. in an interview with Marie Claire, Shakira expressed her belief in love, despite her romantic disappointments.
The Colombian singer parted her ways with Gerard in June 2022, shortly after he was accused of cheating. Read more
