HUMZA QUITS AFTER 397 DAYS OF CHAOS
Tearful Yousaf ‘jumps before he was pushed’
HUMZA YOUSAF yesterday ended his chaotic 13-month reign as First Minister as he ‘jumped before he was pushed’ by announcing his resignation.
The SNP leader had faced the prospect of a humiliating defeat in a no confidence vote at holyrood this week.
in a tearful statement at his official Bute house residence, he defended his decision to end the Bute house Agreement with the Greens, while admitting that he had ‘underestimated the level of hurt and upset’ it would cause them.
Mr Yousaf insisted that he plans to remain in post until a successor is chosen – a process that could take several weeks if an SNP leadership contest takes place.
senior figures in the SNP yesterday called for former Deputy First Minister John swinney to take over in a bid to bring unity to the divided party, even hoping that he could be installed without challenge. Former finance secretary Kate Forbes, who narrowly lost to Mr Yousaf in a leadership contest last year that exposed the deep splits in the SNP, is considering another bid for the top job.
Following another day of drama, scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: ‘humza Yousaf jumped before he was pushed thanks to the pressure put on him by the scottish Conservatives’ planned vote of no confidence. They might be in crisis right now, but the Nationalists are not out.
‘Getting rid of the failing First Minister from Bute house is just the start for my party. We will be working tirelessly to defeat SNP candidates in seats right across scotland at the General Election.
‘i would encourage voters to back the scottish Conservatives to beat the SNP, to ensure we can move on from their independence obsession and take the next major step towards getting rid of this rotten SNP Government once and for all.’
he said Mr Yousaf’s refusal to take questions following his statement means ‘we are none the wiser’ on how long he will attempt to remain in office, and added: ‘scots are facing the prospect of a lame duck First Minister clinging to power, while his party potentially carry out another bitter leadership contest.
‘The SNP should be upfront about a timescale for any contest as a matter of urgency.’
Mr Yousaf’s resignation will see him receive a ‘resettlement grant’ of £52,292. The money, which will be payable 90 days after he leaves office, is 50 per cent of the final £104,584 officeholder salary he was on as First Minister.
in his speech yesterday, Mr Yousaf said he had informed the SNP’s national secretary of his decision to stand down as party leader. But he said he intended to continue as First Minister until a successor is elected by party members ‘in order to ensure a smooth and orderly transition’.
The SNP’s National Executive Committee will meet at some point this week to decide the timetable for any leadership contest, a process that normally takes six weeks or more.
The Tories are considering pressing ahead with the planned vote of no confidence in Mr Yousaf in a bid to force him out sooner, while Labour may also go ahead with a vote of no confidence in the entire SNP Government this week. scottish Labour leader Anas sarwar said: ‘This has never been about one person – this is about 17 years of SNP failure.
‘The fact is, this is a crisis of the SNP’s making and it appears they will yet again put party before country while scots are being failed every day.
‘scotland faces the biggest challenges since devolution but it now has a dysfunctional, chaotic and divided SNP Government. There must be an election – it’s time for change and scottish Labour is ready to deliver it.’
Mr swinney, one of Nicola sturgeon’s closest allies when she was First Minister, yesterday confirmed he is giving ‘very careful consideration’ to standing.
he also won the support of senior SNP figures, including deputy leader Keith Brown, Westminster leader stephen Flynn and Cabihe net ministers Neil Gray and Jenny Gilruth, who were both seen as possible leadership contenders.
Last year, Mr swinney said it was time for a ‘new generation’ to take control of the party and there were ‘no circumstances’ in which would stand to be leader again, following an unsuccessful stint for four years from 2000-04 which culminated in electoral humiliation for the party.
Warning against any coronation of Mr swinney, prominent Nationalist MP Joanna Cherry said the SNP ‘needs a complete reset’.
Mr Yousaf’s resignation statement yesterday came just four days after he ditched the Greens and promised a ‘new beginning’ for the SNP by running a minority administration.
The move backfired after sparking outrage among the Greens, who announced they would vote with other opposition parties in a
‘Not willing to trade my values’
vote of no confidence in Mr Yousaf. Yesterday he admitted he ‘clearly underestimated the level of hurt and upset I caused Green colleagues’.
Mr Yousaf said: ‘In order for a minority government to be able to govern effectively and efficiently, trust, then working with the opposition, is clearly fundamental. And 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.
‘Therefore, after spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for the Government and for the country that I lead, I have concluded that repairing our relationships across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm.’
He claimed independence was ‘frustratingly close’ and he will hand the baton to a successor to ‘lead us over the finish line’.
He then broke down in tears while highlighting how politics ‘can be a brutal business’ which takes its toll on physical and mental health, and praising the support he has had from his wife and children.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: ‘We are about to see another First Minister take charge who does not have a popular mandate, who has not been elected by the country. We need to go back to the people that sent us to parliament and ask us for new instruction. We need to call an election.’
Speaking in London, where he had been attending an event to mark the upcoming 25th anniversary of devolution, Mr Swinney said that he had received ‘many, many messages from colleagues across the party’ about standing for the leadership and was ‘giving that issue very active consideration’.