Humza Yousaf clears the decks to battle no-confidence vote

First minister is 'done', according to insider, but a single vote could change the balance

Humza Yousaf, during First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament
Humza Yousaf at First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday
(Image credit: Ken Jack / Getty Images)

Humza Yousaf's position as Scotland’s first minister is hanging in the balance, as he "fights for his political future" with a no-confidence vote looming.

The Holyrood grapevine is abuzz with reports that Yousaf has cancelled a planned speech in Glasgow later today to concentrate on the challenge to his leadership, Sky News said. 

The Scottish Greens said yesterday that they would join Labour, Lib Dem and Conservative MSPs in voting against Yousaf, hours after the first minister "dramatically brought the powersharing deal with the Greens to an end".

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Yousaf though appears to "have underestimated the fury of his former colleagues", said The Times. With Scotland's opposition parties united against him, the deciding vote on Yousaf's political future would fall to Ash Regan, the only sitting MSP from Alex Salmond's Alba Party.

A former ally and supporter of Yousaf, speaking anonymously to The Times said: "He's done. Whether it's today, tomorrow or later than that, he's done." But one senior SNP source said Yousaf would fight to the end, noting that "only one MSP needs to change their mind" for him to stay in power. 

The past few days have "done nothing to combat the perception of Yousaf as a leader battered by political currents, swept this way and that and unable to get a grip on events", said The Scotsman

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.

With contributions from