The Bute House agreement is over. What happens now?

The SNP remains in power as a minority government. This means the party does not have an overall majority of MSPs and is instead reliant on the votes of other parties to pass legislation. The SNP has previously run two minority administrations from 2007-2011 and 2016-2021.

Why does yousaf face a motion of no confidence?

The Scottish Conservatives claimed the First Minister had “failed” and branded him “weak”. The Tories are gambling the Greens will now refuse to support Yousaf at a vote, likely to take place next week.

Who will vote against yousaf?

Labour, the Lib Dems and the Conservatives have all said they will support the motion against the First Minister.

It was unclear last night how the Greens would vote – but their support could make or break Yousaf.

What happens if the no confidence motion passes?

Because the vote is against the First Minister, and not against his government in general, it is up to him how to respond. Only a motion of no confidence in the government would trigger the automatic resignation of Yousaf and his cabinet.

Could yousaf survive a vote against him?

It is extremely unlikely Yousaf could survive a clear vote against him. With a UK general election looming, the issue could be catastrophic for SNP support if a lame duck first minister chose to ignore the will of MSPs.

Does this mean we could soon see a Holyrood election?

It remains unlikely at this stage but it can’t be ruled out entirely.

If the First Minister chose to resign following a motion of no confidence against him there would be a 28-day period where the Scottish Parliament would vote on forming a new government.

If no new administration could be agreed in that time, an election would be called.

Is yousaf permanently damaged by recent events?

The FM has gambled that he will survive the motion of no confidence.

If he can shrug the vote off, he will seek to unite the SNP as it goes into a potentially makeor-break general election for the party.

There are many among the nationalists who are delighted the Bute House agreement has ended.

What happens to Patrick Harvie and lorna Slater?

They remain co-leaders of the Scottish Greens. Harvie had previously pledged to resign if Green members voted against remaining in the power-sharing deal. But events have since overtaken that statement.

There are some in the party who remain deeply unhappy with the recent Scottish Government decision to scrap a key climate target.