Yousaf under fire for asking refugees where the men are

THE favourite to become Scotland’s next First Minister has been accused of making “deeply offensive” remarks to a group of female Ukrainian refugees by asking them “where are all the men?”

Humza Yousaf made the “toe-curlingly crass” comment during a campaign visit to meet with victims of the Russian invasion who had fled to Scotland. He was told by the women that their husbands had stayed in Ukraine to fight the Russian army.

The SNP Health Secretary’s critics said the remark, apparently intended as a joke and met with nervous laughter by the women, showed Mr Yousaf’s incompetence and ignorance of international affairs.

Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 have been banned from leaving their country in most cases, as part of the country’s fight for survival.

Mr Yousaf was meeting with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain to discuss support for refugees, many of whom in Scotland have been forced to live on cruise ships because the SNP Government has been unable to find them proper housing.

When posing for a photo with a group of about a dozen Ukrainian women, he said: “So one question I have is, where are all the men?” One of the women replied: “They stay in Ukraine.”

Questioned by journalists immediately after the incident, Mr Yousaf declined to apologise, saying there were Ukrainian men elsewhere in the building and that the women had not been offended or upset.

He denied that the comment had been a gaffe, and said: “None of the Ukrainian women have asked me to apologise.”

Alex Cole-hamilton, the leader of the Scottish Libdems who has taken a Ukrainian into his home, said: “From the man who would lead Scotland, this is clumsy, insensitive and displays a real ignorance of international affairs.

Craig Hoy, the Scottish Tory chairman, said Mr Yousaf’s comment had been “toe-curlingly crass”.