Humza Yousaf resigns - live: Former SNP leader John Swinney mulls bid to become Scotland’s next first minister
Mr Yousaf’s resignation comes after the collapse of his power-sharing agreement with the Greens last week
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Your support makes all the difference.Former SNP leader John Swinney is considering becoming Scotland’s next first minister after Humza Yousaf quit the role in an emotional speech at midday.
Mr Swinney, 60, who led the party between 2000 and 2004 and stood down after Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation last year, said he was “actively considering” the role of Scottish first minister.
“I’ve been somewhat overwhelmed by the requests that have been made for me to do that, with many, many messages from many colleagues across the party. So I’m giving that issue very active consideration,” he told Sky News.
It comes after Yousaf announced he was stepping down during an address at Bute House, Edinburgh, just days before a vote on his leadership was expected.
As he choked up, the 39-year-old thanked his “wonderful” wife and “beautiful” children for supporting him throughout his time in office.
The SNP leader faced two no confidence votes scheduled by the Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour – which the Scottish Greens said they would join to oust him.
It came after the SNP’s power-sharing agreement with the Greens collapsed when Yousaf sacked them from his government on Thursday last week.
Leader of the Scottish Greens calls on Yousaf to step down
Patrick Harvie, the leader of the Scottish Greens, has reiterated calls for Scotland’s First Minister to stand down.
Humza Yousaf is facing a no-confidence vote after walking away from the SNP’s power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens last Thursday.
“I don’t think Humza Yousaf any more is in a position to be able to lead”, Mr Harvie told the Radio 4 Today programme, adding: “I don’t think there is anything that Humza Yousaf will be able to say to restore the trust he has broken.”
What was the Bute House Agreement?
The confidence motion was tabled after Mr Yousaf, who replaced the once dominant Nicola Sturgeon, ended the Bute House agreement, which saw the SNP and Greens cooperate on climate and other policies.
After the May 2021 Scottish parliament election, the SNP - then led by Ms Sturgeon - emerged as the largest party but failed to win an overall majority.
The Scottish Greens saw their best-ever result with eight MSPs, enough to give the two pro-independence parties a working majority at Holyrood.
Negotiations began soon after the election and the deal cleared its final hurdle at the end of August 2021 when Green members voted to approve it – with 1,169 members (83 per cent) backing the deal, 234 voting against and nine abstaining.
The Bute House Agreement takes its name from the first minister’s official residence in Edinburgh, where the draft deal was signed.
Humza Yousaf confidence vote: What does it mean for first minister and SNP leader?
SNP leader fights for political life after ending power-sharing agreement with Greens
First minister ‘considering resigning'
Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf is “considering resigning” in the face of a no confidence vote set to take place this week.
The Scottish National Party leader could “call it quits” as early as today after the collapse of his power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens last week, senior SNP sources said.
The 39-year-old, who now runs a minority administration at Holyrood, sacked the Greens on Thursday and they have joined the opposition in confirming they will vote to oust him.
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