UK

Yousaf set to formally resign as Scotland’s FM paving the way for Swinney

Humza Yousaf will officially tender his resignation to the King, paving the way for Holyrood to vote for John Swinney to succeed him.

New SNP leader John Swinney is expected to win a Holyrood vote to become Scotland’s new first minster on Tuesday
New SNP leader John Swinney is expected to win a Holyrood vote to become Scotland’s new first minster on Tuesday (Jane Barlow/PA)
By Katrine Bussey, PA Scotland Political Editor

Humza Yousaf is expected to formally tender his resignation as Scotland’s First Minister on Tuesday.

The outgoing First Minister will make a a final speech to MSPs this afternoon, with this paving the way for Holyrood to vote on who should take his place.

John Swinney, who was installed unopposed as the new SNP leader on Monday, is expected to win that vote – though with his party not having an overall majority at Holyrood, he will need to rely on MSPs from at least one other party to either back him in the ballot or abstain.

The vote on the new first minister comes after Mr Yousaf announced last Monday he would be stepping down from the role.

Humza Yousaf is expected to formally resign as First Minister on Tuesday.
Humza Yousaf is expected to formally resign as First Minister on Tuesday. (Andrew Milligan/PA)

That came after his decision to end the powersharing deal between the SNP and Scottish Greens at Holyrood angered the smaller pro-independence party, and left him facing a vote of no confidence in his leadership he was unlikely to win.

Faced with the prospect of defeat, he stepped down from the role, with the SNP forced to find its second leader in just over a year.

Assuming he is voted in by the Scottish Parliament, Mr Swinney will need to be sworn in at the Court of Session in Edinburgh before officially becoming first minister.

He can then get on with the business of appointing his cabinet, before going on to to take First Minister’s Questions on Thursday.

He said yesterday he was “deeply honoured” to have been appointed SNP leader, with Mr Swinney also saying he would “give all that I have to serve my party and my country”.

It marks the second time he has served as SNP leader – though when he held the role previously between 2000 and 2004 the party was in opposition at Holyrood.

His appointment on Monday, however, will mean that the man who was Scotland’s longest serving deputy first minister – a position he held under Nicola Sturgeon – will now take on the top job in Scottish politics.