SNP’s Westminster leader ‘had pivotal role in Yousaf’s downfall’

Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s Westminster leader, is believed to have played a pivotal role in Humza Yousaf’s downfall.

Mr Flynn, the Aberdeen South MP, is said to have applied pressure to Mr Yousaf to end the coalition deal with the Scottish Greens, which was being blamed by many in the SNP for the party’s plummeting poll ratings.

He was seen at Holyrood on Wednesday, the day before Mr Yousaf tore up the pact, and is understood to have met the First Minister.

He also spoke to him on Thursday evening after it became apparent that his gamble had backfired and he was facing a fight for his political career.

MPs are said to have become increasingly concerned that a focus on identity politics, championed by the Scottish Greens, was making the SNP appear detached from the everyday concerns of voters. They feared a disaster at the forthcoming election, based on reactions from constituents.

Mr Flynn holds a seat in which tens of thousands of jobs rely on North Sea oil and gas, and has faced claims that he “bounced” Mr Yousaf into ending the deal signed by Nicola Sturgeon.

Despite recent attempts by the SNP to pivot away from a perception of hostility to the sector, these were undermined by having Greens in government who back its demise.

‘Nobody tells First Minister what to do’

Mr Flynn said claims that he played a key role in Humza Yousaf’s downfall are “a lie”.

Speaking outside Parliament, the Aberdeen South MP said: “Anyone positing that argument is doing so without the facts in place, it is in effect a lie, it is not true.

“Nobody goes into the First Minister’s house and tells them what to do, let alone me. Any individual pushing this argument is overstating my influence and is perhaps overestimating their own abilities politically.

“The reality is that myself and the First Minister, of course, discussed the situation with regards to the Bute House Agreement. I believe he made the right choice. I was not aware of the plan that was in place. We discussed the pros and the cons.”

He added: “The First Minister has himself said today that he misjudged the response from the Greens and, of course, the plan that was put in place by the First Minister and his advisers has obviously not come to fruition, but that doesn’t mean the decision was wrong. The decision was the right one.”

Publicly, Mr Flynn has been one of the few senior SNP figures to defend Mr Yousaf. The day after he ended the deal with the Scottish Greens, he appeared on BBC Scotland’s flagship morning radio show when Scottish Government ministers declined.

“I have confidence in him not just as party leader but to continue in his role as First Minister,” Mr Flynn said then. “I have no doubt that he’s going to come out fighting, and rightly so.

“What he did [by ending the coalition] was to reset the Scottish Government’s ambitions and reset the Scottish Government’s focus on the priorities of the people of Scotland.”

However, in the same interview, he also refused to rule out his own leadership run should Mr Yousaf be forced from office.

While Mr Flynn was far from alone in criticising the deal with the Greens, those who demanded an end to the agreement are now facing recriminations from those who backed it.

Greens are ‘our only potential partners’

Mhairi Hunter, a former SNP councillor who is very close to Nicola Sturgeon, said on Friday she was sure that Mr Yousaf would “turn back time” if he could.

She also hit out at those calling for a “reset to Salmond-style minority government”, saying they had been misguided, adding that unlike in the SNP’s first term in government Unionist parties would not work with it because they “hated” its electoral success.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, she said: “That means only the Greens are our potential partners and do you know why? Because that is what voters decided. So you should accept that.

“Another thing that should be accepted is that a good outcome of a snap election for the SNP would return pretty much the same result – an SNP minority reliant on the Greens. This is the inescapable parliamentary arithmetic. You may not like it, but it is what it is.

“And it’s fine. Do you want to find common ground on tackling climate change & creating a fairer society or do you want to have to find common ground with Douglas Ross [the Scottish Tory leader] ?”