PA
Humza Yousaf has resigned as the first minister of Scotland, saying he was not willing to trade his principles simply to hold on to power.
Yousaf faced two votes of no confidence – one from the Scottish Conservatives, and another from Scottish Labour, which has tabled one for the Scottish Government as a whole.
He had previously said he would not resign and that he intended to win the confidence votes and rule as part of a minority government.
His former partners in government, the Scottish Greens, had said they are continuing to back the votes of no confidence, giving him little wiggle room to manoeuvre.
The resignation comes little more than a year after he became Scotland’s first minister.
His appointment followed his steady rise up the ranks of the SNP since he first became an MSP in 2011.
A year after winning a seat, he was made minister for Europe and international development, a position he held for nearly four years.
He then enjoyed a series of promotions, becoming transport secretary in 2016, being named as the new justice secretary in 2018 and later becoming health secretary in 2021.
When Nicola Sturgeon announced she was standing down as first minister in 2023, Yousaf was seen as the continuity candidate to succeed her.
On taking up the post, he became the first ethnic minority leader of a devolved government and the first Muslim to lead a major UK party.
There are several candidates that could replace Yousaf as leader.
– Kate Forbes
The Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP is perhaps the most likely replacement after she narrowly lost to Mr Yousaf in the fiery leadership contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon just over a year ago.
And as finance secretary under Ms Sturgeon, Ms Forbes has been known to help her government through tough crises, stepping into the role and delivering a budget at short notice after her predecessor, Derek Mackay, resigned in disgrace in 2020.
A Free Church of Scotland member, Ms Forbes’ first run at the leadership was not smooth sailing as her stance on social issues is at odds with many within her own party, particularly her opposition to gender reform.
A key obstacle in her leadership, however, would be the Scottish Greens, they have previously ruled out working with her over her views so it is unlikely she would command the support to effectively rule.
In the last leadership contest, Ms Forbes did not have the backing of most of her own SNP MSPs but did win over a significant number of members, losing the closely-fought leadership election by 47.9% of the vote compared to Mr Yousaf’s 52.1%.
– John Swinney
The loyal deputy first minister to Ms Sturgeon could throw his hat in the ring as an SNP MSP with significant experience.
He has been an MSP since the Scottish Parliament’s inception in 1999, serving North Tayside, and previously representing the same constituency at Westminster in 1997.
Mr Swinney previously led his party in Holyrood between 2000 and 2004 during the SNP’s time on the opposition benches.
He has held a raft of cabinet positions, including education and finance and resigned at the same time as Ms Sturgeon.
He also ruled himself out of the 2023 leadership race, stating he had to put his young family first. However, the SNP politician could take the reigns to unite his party in a time of turmoil.
– Mairi McAllan
The Clydesdale MSP has been tipped as a future leader as she quickly moved up the ranks despite only being elected in 2021.
At the age of 31, Ms McAllan would become the youngest first minister, but her portfolio in Holyrood shows she is already capable of handling a significant brief.
The party’s rising star was given a ministerial post for environment, biodiversity and land reform in May 2021, shortly after being elected.
But, under Humza Yousaf, she quickly ascended to a cabinet post just two years later, taking on the Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition portfolio.
Her brief was widened further in February 2024 after Neil Gray was moved to Health Secretary. She became Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy Secretary.
Ms McAllan announced she was expecting her first child in February 2024, adding she planned to take maternity leave in the summer with a scheduled return for March 2025.
– Neil Gray
The wealth of experience held by Neil Gray could make him a likely contender for leadership.
He is thought to be the closest ally of Mr Yousaf but may be able to unite Parliament.
He is a former MP and became an MSP in 2021 serving as a culture and international development minister before being promoted to Economy, Fair Work and Energy Secretary around a year later.
He stepped up to become Health Secretary following the resignation of Michael Matheson.
– Jenny Gilruth
Former teacher Jenny Gilruth represents Mid Fife and Glenrothes and is the current Education Secretary.
Her brief is one of the toughest as she faces pressure to address the increasing issue of violence in schools.
She has also held transport minister briefs and Europe, migration and international development minister.
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