Humza Yousaf mocked for ‘embarrassing’ letter pleading for support

Humza Yousaf has been mocked for sending a “humiliating and embarrassing” letter pleading for the support of opposition parties as he battles to cling to power.

The First Minister has asked to meet with Holyrood’s party leaders including Ash Regan, the SNP defector, who may decide his future in this week’s upcoming no-confidence vote.

Mr Yousaf wrote to Alba, the Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Greens on Friday night, asking for separate meetings at his official residence of Bute House in Edinburgh.

In the letter, he said that Scotland’s people “want to see their political parties work together where and when they can, building consensus for the common good”.

“I recognise the strong feelings in relation to the confidence debate our parliament is set to have next week,” he said.

“Notwithstanding that, I am writing to all Holyrood party groups to ask them to meet me next week, in separate meetings, to discuss their concerns and, indeed, priorities, in a hopefully constructive spirit.”

However, Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives who put forward a motion of no-confidence in the First Minister, dismissed the entreaty. “This is a humiliating and embarrassing letter, in which Humza Yousaf is begging to be allowed to keep his job,” he said.

Mr Ross added: “He should now accept that his time in power is over, and finally offer his resignation as First Minister.

“If he doesn’t do so before the Scottish Conservative vote of no confidence in him [this] week, his future as First Minister rests on a vote that is currently so finely balanced that his credibility as a leader will be utterly destroyed, whatever the result.”

Mr Yousaf is desperately attempting to save himself after his decision on Thursday to scrap the coalition with the Scottish Greens spectacularly backfired.

Ms Regan, who defected to Alex Salmond’s rival nationalist party, Alba, months after Mr Yousaf beat her to the SNP leadership in March last year, could hold the deciding vote if all other parties vote against the First Minister.

The Alba MSP, who Mr Yousaf described as “no great loss” when she quit the party, has outlined wide-ranging conditions for supporting him.

These include SNP politicians signing a “declaration of Scottish sovereignty”, implementing the findings of the Cass Review into child gender services and attempting to save the Grangemouth oil refinery.

The ruling body of Alba has been holding an emergency meeting this weekend to decide the way forward.

Ms Regan told the BBC on Friday that she had not spoken to Mr Yousaf since the leadership contest last year.

“I think that potentially some of the things he said about me when I left to go to a different political party last year probably shows that it’s always wise to have that level of professional courtesy to people that you work with,” she said.

Sources close to Mr Yousaf have suggested that nothing will be off the table in the talks.

But other SNP sources believe he is a “dead man walking” and will have to resign even if he wins the vote.

The vote on the no-confidence motion in Mr Yousaf’s leadership is expected to take place on Wednesday or Thursday.

Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, raised the stakes further on Friday by lodging a motion of no confidence in the entire Scottish Government. If that is successful, Mr Yousaf and all of his ministers would be legally obliged to quit.

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, said: “Everyone except Humza Yousaf can see that his time is up, but it’s not enough to swap around the person at the top of this out-of-touch SNP government.

“The people of Scotland deserve a say in their next First Minister and a chance to elect an entirely new government.”

Kate Forbes, Mr Yousaf’s former leadership rival, has urged her fellow SNP MSPs to back their leader.

Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, has said it is “pretty clear” Mr Yousaf will not be able to unite Holyrood and urged the SNP to consider finding a replacement for him.