Leadership contender defends party election process
SNP leadership contender Humza Yousaf said his party should not restart the contest following criticism of its handling of a row over membership numbers.
However, the Health Secretary conceded that the last 72 hours had been a difficult period for his party. It follows high-profile resignations of media chief Murray Foote and SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, who is First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s husband.
A row erupted after the party initially rubbished claims it had lost 30,000 members since 2021 – a number which was later revealed to be correct.
The SNP went on to confirm membership numbers fell from 103,884 in 2021 to 72,186 in February 2023. Mr Yousaf, who is vying to replace Ms Sturgeon in the top job against Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, conceded that the contest had been hit with “difficulty” in recent days.
But the Glasgow Govan MSP was clear it would not make sense to start from scratch with just one week remaining in the contest.
Mr Yousaf said: “It’s clear that all three candidates have now said that they have faith in the integrity and all three candidates will respect the outcome of the ballot.
“I’m pleased the other candidates have agreed with my position which I’ve had from the beginning which is that the integrity of the ballot is not in question.”
Speaking on a visit to Who Cares? Scotland in Glasgow, where he pledged to protect the promise made to careexperienced children under Nicola Sturgeon’s tenure, he said: “
“With a new leader of the SNP, a new chief executive of the SNP, there's a chance to do things differently, to re-energise and refresh.”