Humza Yousaf quits as First Minister

Resignation statement days after split with Scottish Green Party

Author: Rob WallerPublished 29th Apr 2024
Last updated 29th Apr 2024

Humza Yousaf has resigned as First Minister after spending just over a year in the job after taking over from Nicola Sturgeon.

The announcement was made at Bute House in Edinburgh.

The news comes after Mr Yousaf abruptly ended the power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens last Thursday and declared his intention for the SNP to run a minority government.

READ MORE: SNP split from Greens

The same day the Conservatives and Labour called for votes of confidence and since then he's been unable to guarantee he would get enough support to win them.

Speaking to the media in Scotland's capital, Humza Yousaf said he had "underestimated" the level of hurt ending the power-sharing deal with the Greens would have.

He said that while it was "the right decision", he added: "Unfortunately in ending the Bute House Agreement in the matter I did I clearly underestimate the level of hurt and upset that caused Green colleagues.

"For a minority government to be able to govern effectively trust when working with the opposition is clearly fundamental."

He added a route through the no-confidence vote was "absolutely possible".

But he said: "I am not willing to trade in my values or principles or do deals with whomever simply for retaining power."

He went on to pay tribute to to his wife -Dundee councillor Nadia El-Nakla - and his family becoming emotional as he did so.

March 27, 2023

Humza Yousaf wins a bruising SNP leadership election, narrowly defeating closest rival Kate Forbes by 52% to 48% in the second round of voting.
Speaking after the result was announced, he said Scotland should "take pride" in electing its first leader from an ethnic minority background, and he pledged to work to reunite the party.

March 29, 2023

Humza Yousaf is sworn in at the Court of Session, in front of his family, and friends, officially taking on the role of First Minister.

April 5, 2023

Less than a week into Humza Yousaf's tenure, former SNP chief executive - and Nicola Sturgeon's husband - Peter Murrell is arrested in relation to a police investigation, Operation Branchform, into how £600,000 of crowdfunding for the party was spent.
Mr Murrell is held for questioning by detectives but later released without charge pending further investigation.
The arrest leads to one of the most iconic images in UK politics in 2023, as the house shared by Mr Murrell and Ms Sturgeon is searched, with police erecting a blue forensics tent in their front garden.

June 7, 2023

The Scottish Government delays its deposit return scheme until at least October 2025 after the UK Government rejects an application for an exemption to the Internal Market Act - effectively blocking glass from the scheme

June 11, 2023

Nicola Sturgeon is arrested in relation to Operation Branchform.
She is released later in the day pending further investigation, and posted on social media that she knows "beyond doubt that I am in fact innocent of any wrongdoing".

September 5, 2023

The First Minister outlined his first Programme for Government, setting his sights on the "scourge of poverty".

September 28, 2023

Veteran SNP MSP Fergus Ewing is suspended for a week from the party's Holyrood group after voting against Government minister and Green co-leader Lorna Slater in a confidence vote.

7th October

Hamas attacks Israel, prompting reprisals which trap Mr Yousaf's in-laws in Gaza.
The First Minister becomes one of the loudest voices calling for a ceasefire to avoid civilian casualties.
On 5th November the First Minister's in-laws return home to Scotland

October 28, 2023

Former SNP leadership candidate Ash Regan defects to Alba.

November 9, 2023

Media reports reveal Mr Yousaf's Health Secretary Michael Matheson racked up a near £11,000 data roaming bill on a parliamentary iPad.
He initially attempts to cover the costs using parliamentary expenses, before paying it himself in full. Mr Matheson tells MSPs in an emotional statement the bill was the result of his sons using the device as a wifi hotspot to watch football while on a family holiday.
The row dragged on until 8th Feb when Michael Matheson quits his Cabinet role, saying it is an attempt to avoid the ongoing parliamentary probe into his roaming bill becoming a "distraction". Neil Gray is made Health Secretary.

January 12, 2024

The SNP launches its campaign ahead of the general election, with Mr Yousaf pledging to make Scotland a "Tory-free zone".

January 25, 2023

The First Minister appears before the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, insisting decisions during the pandemic were not taken for political reasons.

April 25 2024

Humza Yousaf calls the Scottish Green Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater to an early morning meeting to them them he is ending the Bute House Agreement between the parties, meaning the pair lose their Government jobs, and declares his intention to run a minority SNP Government. They angrily denounce the move and call him "weak" and "hopeless". The Scottish Conservatives call a vote of confidence in the First Minster, followed by Labour moving a confidence vote about the Scottish Government.

Political reaction to the news

The Scottish Greens have said Humza Yousaf's resignation as First Minister was the "right" decision.

The party's co-leader Patrick Harvie said the development was "regrettable" but welcomed the "personal responsibility" Mr Yousaf has taken.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie

He said: "Humza Yousaf is right to resign. His position was no longer tenable after he broke the bonds of trust with the Scottish Greens and with everyone who wanted a stable, progressive, pro-independence government. It is regrettable that it has ended this way, it didn't need to. We draw no satisfaction or pleasure from this.

"But the Scottish Greens could no longer have confidence in Humza Yousaf after he chose to unilaterally end the Bute House Agreement. In doing so he let down the large majority of Scottish Green and SNP members who approved the agreement who wanted it to work.

"He chose to end a stable majority government and jeopardised the progressive policy programme that both parties had committed to and were working to deliver.

"It is to his credit that he has taken personal responsibility. Now though is the time to return to some stability."

The UK Government has said it will work with Humza Yousaf's successor to deliver on "the real issues that matter to people", Downing Street has said.

Reacting to the First Minister's resignation, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "When the First Minister came to office he and the Prime Minister talked about wanting to work together to focus on the real issues that matter to people.

"I haven't, obviously, seen the news that you've reported on, but clearly if that's the case, the UK Government will work with the new administration to the same end, which is working together to deliver for people in Scotland, whether it's growing the economy, delivering jobs, enhancing energy security.

"For most people, they don't want to be distracted by the ins and outs of politics, they want to see their governments working together to deliver on their priorities."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said that the situation with Humza Yousaf and the SNP is "absolute chaos" and called for a "fresh start" in Scotland.

"I despair at the situation in Scotland - it's absolute chaos now from the Scottish parliament, from the SNP. So you've got chaos in the Scottish parliament, chaos in the Westminster parliament," Sir Keir said.

He said the Scottish People have been "fundamentally let down" and "all the SNP can offer is chaos."

He added: "We've got to turn the page on this now - we need that general election and a fresh start."

Ash Regan, who leads the Alba Party in Holyrood, has said she is ready to work with the next Scottish first minister.

She said it was "bizarre" that some SNP MSPs would rather he resigned from the top post than do a deal with the pro-independence party.

The former SNP politician said: "The irony will not be lost on many that the event that has cost Humza Yousaf his job was removing the Greens from Government- something most people in Scotland agreed with.

"Alba Party were willing to work in the best interests of Scotland to put independence back at the heart of Government, protect the rights of women and girls, and to get the Government back onto a competent footing.

"The Greens were willing to vote with the Tories and bizarrely some forces in Humza Yousaf's own party would rather see him resign than deal with a party who really want to advance Independence.

"However, a new SNP leader and a new first minister will not change parliamentary arithmetic. I continue to stand ready to work in the best interests of Scotland and to advance the cause of Scottish independence."

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