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Humza Yousaf live updates: Scotland's first minister to resign 'as early as Monday' - BBC News Humza Yousaf live updates: Scotland's first minister to resign 'as early as Monday' - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
James Cook
Scotland Editor, BBC News If the first minister resigns, the Scottish Parliament has 28 days to choose a new one.
As soon as Humza Yousaf ejected the Scottish It will be up to the members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) to nominate a candidate to replace Humza Yousaf.
Greens from his government, he set the clock ticking on a race to find support By convention, this will be the leader of the party with the most representation in parliament, which is currently the Scottish National Party (SNP).
to sustain him in office. Nominees are given the opportunity to argue their case and then MSPs cast their vote for a preferred candidate.
None of his options was particularly When a party has a majority in parliament, this process is a formality - but that is not the case at the moment.
attractive. If MSPs can decide on a new first minister, they are then recommended to the monarch for appointment, who rubberstamps the process.
He could have struck a deal The new first minister then picks their new ministers and leads the government.
with Alex Salmond’s Alba party but, I was told in robust terms, that was a However, if the MSPs can't decide on a new first minister, parliament must be dissolved and a new election called.
non-starter. There was no way that Yousaf wanted to be beholden to the
former SNP leader, a man who is currently taking legal action against
the Scottish government after its mishandling of harassment complaints against him.
Yousaf did try, and fail, to win back the
Scottish Greens, trying to persuade them to support his minority government.
But Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater were insulted by the manner of their
dismissal from Bute House, furious about the potential impact on environmental
and social policy, and resolute that Yousaf, not necessarily the SNP, had to
go.
Finally, he could have tried to face down the
Greens and Alba, without offering any concessions or assurances, daring them to
bring down a fellow pro-independence politician. That was seen as an
unattractive, and potentially humiliating, option.
The clock had run out —the only other path
that remained was to quit.
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