Yousaf to become Scotland’s first Muslim leader
Humza Yousaf is set to become the First Minister of Scotland after yesterday winning the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the Scottish National Party.
He is the first Muslim SNP leader and would become the first in the post of First Minister. Mr Yousaf is due to be confirmed in the role today.
That means there will be men of Asian heritage leading the governments of Scotland, the UK and Ireland. “We should all take pride in the fact today we have sent a clear message that your colour of skin, or indeed your faith, is not a barrier to leading the country that we all call home,” he said.
Mr Yousaf, 37, was selected by the SNP’s 72,000 members from a list also including Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former minister Ash Regan.
Ms Sturgeon stepped down last month, after eight years as party leader and First Minister.
Mr Yousaf, who was born and raised in Glasgow to parents of Pakistani heritage, won on second preference votes after failing to get 50 per cent of the share in the first round.
Speaking in Edinburgh, Mr Yousaf said he felt like the “luckiest man in the world” to be the leader of the SNP.
“To serve my country as First Minister will be the greatest privilege and honour of my life,” he said.
He said he was a “proud Scot and an equally proud European, too”.
Mr Yousaf pledged to make a reality of the SNP’s commitment to independence.
“We will be the generation that delivers independence for
Scotland,” he said. Following an election campaign in which the leadership rivals traded blows in heated debates, Mr Yousaf sought to emphasise party unity.
He said elections “can be bruising” but that the SNP was “a family”.
Mr Yousaf also spoke about his late grandparents, who emigrated from Punjab in Pakistan to Scotland more than 60 years ago. “As immigrants to this country who knew barely a word of English, they could not have
imagined in their wildest dreams that their grandson would one day be on the cusp of being First Minister of Scotland,” Mr Yousaf said.
“From the Punjab to our parliament, this is a journey over generations that reminds us we should always celebrate the migrants who contribute so much to our country.
“This is what drives my commitment to equality that will underpin my actions as First Minister.”
Ms Sturgeon praised the three candidates who sought to become party leader and said she wished Mr Yousaf success in the role.
“He will be an outstanding leader and First Minister and I could not be prouder to have him succeed me,” she said on Twitter.
His triumph was announced at the BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh after 70 per cent of SNP members took part in a ballot.
Mr Yousaf was first preference for leader in 48 per cent of the votes, with Ms Forbes preferred in 40 per cent of ballots and Ms Regan the top pick in 11 per cent.
The SNP holds 64 of the 129 seats in the Scotland’s parliament and governs in a coalition with the Green Party.
Among Mr Yousaf’s main challenges will be finding a way to reinvigorate the independence movement.
Scotland voted against leaving the UK in 2014 and polls show the public has little appetite for another referendum.
Ms Sturgeon hoped to hold another poll in October, but the UK’s highest court ruled last year that her government could not call a new referendum without the British government’s consent.
Ms Sturgeon said the SNP would use the next UK general election to show a majority of people in Scotland supported independence.
It remains to be seen whether Mr Yousaf can convince the public to back the movement.
He has said he wants to build a “settled, sustained” majority for independence.
There are also concerns among the SNP over the party’s plunging popularity in the polls, sparked by the leadership contest.
The drop in support for the party has delighted the Labour and Conservative parties, which hope to gain seats in
Scotland during the next general election, which is scheduled to take place next year.
SNP members have put their faith in Mr Yousaf to ensure the party maintains its grip on Scottish politics.
After graduating from the University of Glasgow, he worked as an aide to MSP before being elected to Scotland’s parliament in 2011.
Mr Yousaf was appointed as a junior minister in 2012, becoming the youngest person and first ethnic minority politician to be appointed to the Scottish government.
He joined the cabinet in 2018 as secretary for justice and became health minister in 2021.
He has come under fire for his record in the latter role.
Last month, Audit Scotland said the healthcare system faced challenges and called on the Scottish government to be more transparent about its successes and failures in the sector.