SNP looks to unity candidate after Humza Yousaf quits as first minister

Humza Yousaf has quit as Scotland’s first minister to clear the way for a new leader capable of giving the Scottish National party stability after a series of damaging crises.

During a dramatic day largely orchestrated by party managers, Yousaf announced he would step down as first minister just as a veteran former leader, John Swinney, quickly emerged as the favourite to succeed him.

Swinney, who had served as Nicola Sturgeon’s deputy until she quit in February 2023, confirmed he was “giving very careful consideration” to standing as a unity candidate after coming under intense pressure to do so from senior figures inside the SNP.

Various bookmakers said they had stopped taking bets on Swinney being the next 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,” Swinney told Sky News. “So I’m giving that issue very active consideration.”

In a hastily arranged speech in Edinburgh, Yousaf admitted he had triggered the crisis by unilaterally scrapping a coalition deal with the Scottish Greens four days ago. It left the SNP ruling as a minority government.

His decision led to the Greens demanding Yousaf’s resignation, and triggered two no confidence motions tabled by opposition parties which threatened to bring the Scottish government down.

“After spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government and for the country I lead, I’ve concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm,” Yousaf said in an at times emotional statement at Bute House, the first minister’s official residence.

Yousaf, who refused to take questions after his statement, said he planned to stay on as first minister until his successor was elected. They will lead a minority government now dependent on opposition support to get laws passed and its budget agreed.

His government’s survival seems assured in the short term after the Scottish Greens said they would not support a vote of no confidence in the government tabled by Scottish Labour, which is expected to be debated on Wednesday.

Because of Holyrood’s delicate party balance, which leaves the SNP two votes short of a majority, the SNP needed the Scottish Greens to either abstain on the Labour motion or support the SNP to avoid defeat.

Under Holyrood’s rules, a government cannot stay in power if it loses a vote of no confidence. A separate no confidence vote in Yousaf tabled by the Conservatives is now unlikely to be debated.

Yousaf’s departure means that all four of the UK’s governments – in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast – have seen new leaders elected in a little over 18 months.

Party dealmakers expect they can persuade Kate Forbes, the former finance secretary, to stand aside in Swinney’s favour, to avoid another bruising leadership contest that could further damage the SNP’s popularity so close to a general election.

Forbes narrowly lost to Yousaf in last year’s leadership contest after mounting aggressive attacks on his centre-left politics and close ties to Sturgeon. She pushed a much more mainstream policy agenda.

If Swinney does not stand, Forbes will run for the leadership. Some of her allies suggested on Monday she could resist attempts to crown Swinney as leader without a contest.

One party veteran said Swinney had been asked to stay as party leader until at least the Scottish parliamentary elections due in May 2026. Swinney said he needed to weigh that decision against the needs of his family.

“I’ve got lots of things to think about,” Swinney said. “I have to make sure that I do the right thing by my family, they are precious to me. I have to do the right thing by my party and by my country.”

The party source said Swinney was “the best placed to give us a soft landing” after a few tumultuous months for the party, which has been overshadowed by the police investigation into its finances and embezzlement charges levelled against Peter Murrell, Sturgeon’s husband and the SNP’s former chief executive.

Swinney, who previously served as SNP leader between 2000 and 2004, is seen by his backers as far more likely than Forbes to win the support of the Scottish Greens, who will refuse to work with Forbes because of her socially conservative views on abortion, gender reform and same-sex marriage.

A senior Scottish Labour source said Swinney would be “a calming influence” for the SNP but said he could never claim to represent a fresh start.

Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said: “He represents the past. Obviously it’s up to the SNP to decide who their leader is, but it is continuity Sturgeon. It is doubling down on the last 17 years of failure. He of course almost lost a confidence vote when he was education secretary.”

Labour wanted an early Holyrood election, said Sarwar. “We don’t think this is some SNP plaything, a revolving door, where they can change and impose a first minister for a third time. We think it should be for the public to decide​,”​ he said.