On Thursday, the government collaboration between Yousaf’s party the Scottish National Party (SNP) collapsed with the Greens due to disagreements over climate policy.
The Conservatives have since moved a motion of no confidence against Yousaf himself, while Labor has moved a motion of no confidence against his entire government. It seemed unlikely that Yousaf would survive the first motion of no confidence, as the Greens were also going to vote against him.
– I obviously underestimated how much it would hurt the Greens to end the collaboration, Yousaf said at a press conference on Monday.
It was also considered by the SNP whether they could cooperate with the party Alba, which is led by the SNP’s former leader Alex Salmond. However, this was very controversial within the SNP.
Yousaf is now asking for a leadership election to be held in the SNP as soon as possible. The First Minister of Scotland is the head of a government that is responsible for most matters that concern Scotland, minus those governed by the British government in London.
Yousaf became First Minister barely a year ago, in March 2023. Then he took over from long-time SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who resigned shortly before her husband was arrested in a corruption scandal.
