Humza Yousaf, Scotland's head, departs from his position after a year, putting his pro-autonomy faction in disarray.
Yousaf's coalition fell apart unexpectedly last week when he terminated the coalition agreement with Green Party politicians, causing an unprecedented backlash. The Greens said they would vote against him in a confidence motion, which resulted in the SNP naming a successor.
Yousaf, who became the SNP leader in March, aimed to retain the party's domination of politics in Scotland and increase support for another referendum on Scottish independence. However, the party's legal problems and an unstable coalition agreement placed his leadership under strain, and his decision to dismiss two Green lawmakers from the government set off a five-day struggle for his position.
"In ending the Bute House Agreement the way I did, I clearly underestimated the level of hurt and upset that caused my Green colleagues," he confessed in a press conference on Monday.
He acknowledged that trust between the opposition is crucial for effective government and mentioned that the lack of trust from the Greens was his downfall.
The left-leaning SNP has held government power in Scotland since 2007, and has voted for a referendum in 2014 with the desire for Scottish autonomy. However, Yousaf's calls for another referendum have been met with skepticism in Westminster, and further compromised by a long-running police investigation into financial irregularities in the SNP that has impacted its popularity.
The SNP now has to elect a replacement to lead Yousaf's government. Given that they are two seats short of a majority, a new leader would need to secure support from opposition politicians. If the opposition impedes the selection process, a snap election may ensue. Polls suggest a possible confrontation between the SNP and the refreshed Labour Party for control of parliament, with the SNP having lost significant support since the last poll in 2021.
The SNP will attempt to prevent a snap election and find a leader with enough support from the opposition. Yousaf indicated on Monday that he would remain until a new leader is selected.
The SNP's disarray, after a remarkable 17-year period of exclusivity in Scotland, notably dims the prospects of the bloc realizing its ultimate goal: breaking free from the United Kingdom and becoming an independent country.
Emotionally Charged Resignation
In an impassioned speech on Monday, Yousaf acknowledged that it was a privilege to lead the SNP in government. Despite his challenging path to victory, infused with historical significance as the first non-white head of the Scottish government, Yousaf's term was turbulent and his tenure impacted the party's image unfavorably, exacerbated by a grueling year for the party.
Yousaf took over from the acclaimed former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon who unexpectedly resigned after leading for nine years. Sturgeon later faced an investigation by police over the party's finances, complicating Yousaf's ascension.
Despite popularity shortcomings compared to Sturgeon, Yousaf found himself in a precarious position, often navigating between progressive Green allies and socially conservative factions within the SNP.
The contentious expansion of Scotland's hate crime legislation, which expanded protections for transgender people, was hailed by LGBTQ+ groups but attacked as a potential free speech encroachment by critics.
The Neil's controversial decision to withdraw the 2030 climate targets left the Greens enraged, causing him to destroy the Bute Agreement between both parties. Instead, he attempted to govern with a minority government. However, this provoked the Greens to withdraw their support for Yousaf, leading to a majority of Scottish Parliament against him.
Scotland formerly set goals to reduce emissions by 75% through 2030, making it one of the most ambitious targets globally. But Yousaf's government was forced to concede that the nation would fail to achieve this goal and even dropped it.
Yousaf ascribed the target, initially set before he stepped in, as "beyond what we are able to achieve."
Read also:
Source: edition.cnn.com
