Humza Yousaf

Scotland's health secretary defeats rivals Kate Forbes and Ash Regan in a vote of party members.

Will he forge on with all of her policies, or seek to carve out more of an identity for himself? The Scottish Greens said its council had voted unanimously to continue to support the agreement with the SNP and for its MSPs to back Mr Yousaf in the vote to become the next first minister. Mr Ross and Mr Sarwar will both stand against Mr Yousaf in the first minister vote in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday afternoon, as will Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton - although none of the opposition leaders has any prospect of winning. He will immediately face having to make a host of tough decisions, including whether to fight the UK government's block on Scotland's gender reforms in the courts - Mr Yousaf says he wants to but only if the legal advice is that it stands a chance of success - and what to do with other controversial polices inherited from Ms Sturgeon such as the deposit return scheme and new national care service. His supporters say Mr Yousaf is a polished communicator who is best placed to unite the party and maintain the power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens - which had been widely expected to collapse if either Ms Forbes or Ms Regan had won. He said independence would be won "on the doorsteps" and pledged to kickstart a grassroots campaign, adding: "We will be the generation to win independence for Scotland". Mr Yousaf also said his grandparents had arrived in Scotland from Pakistan in the 1960s barely able to speak a word of English, and would not have believed "in their wildest dreams" that their grandson would one day become first minister of Scotland. Mr Yousaf becomes only its fifth leader since 1979, and will face the task of uniting a party that has dominated Scottish politics in recent years but which has looked deeply divided in the wake of Ms Sturgeon's resignation. Speaking after being confirmed as the new leader at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Ms Yousaf said it would be "the greatest honour and privilege of my life" to be the next first minister. Ms Forbes came second with 47.9% of the votes when second preferences were included, with Mr Yousaf receiving 26,032 votes and Ms Forbes 23,890. Mr Yousaf failed to win a majority in the first round of voting, but won 52.1% of the votes after second preference votes from Ms Regan, who was eliminated after finishing third, were redistributed. Mr Yousaf is currently Scotland's health secretary and was widely assumed to be Ms Sturgeon's preferred successor, although she did not explicitly back any of the candidates in the contest.

The current Scottish Health Secretary is expected to be declared Scotland's sixth first minister after a vote in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.

Congratulations @HumzaYousaf elected leader of the SNP”. Mr Yousaf was first elected in 2011 as a regional MSP for Glasgow and was appointed a junior minister the following year, becoming Justice Secretary in 2018. Mr Yousaf said: “It is hard for me to find the words to describe just how honoured I am to be entrusted by our membership of the SNP to be the party’s next leader and to be on the cusp of being our country’s next first minister.” For first preferences in the single transferrable vote system, Mr Yousaf took 24,336 (48%), Ms Forbes took 20,559 (40%) and Ms Regan took 5,599 (11%) of the vote. Mr Yousaf paid tribute to the late Labour leader John Smith in his victory speech and said it was “the greatest honour and privilege of my life” to be the next first minister, should Parliament decide to elect him. Humza Yousaf is set to become Scotland’s youngest first minister and the first person from a minority ethnic background to hold the post after he was elected SNP leader.

Narrowly elected as the new leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party Monday (SNP), Yousaf faces the monumental task of bringing together a party ...

this is a disaster that even the best political operator would drown in,” Mackay said. Optimistic SNP supporters put the drop down to drift, meaning members simply forgot to renew amid the pandemic and then cost-of-living crisis. “He’ll need to reach out and use all the talent available to put the best team together. If he can show progress on public service delivery and the economy then SNP can see off challenge from Labour.” “Even the [SNP] establishment probably see him as a placeholder for someone better.” “When you were transport minister, the trains were never on time,” Forbes told Yousaf in that debate. “When you were justice minister, the police were strained to breaking point. Low turnout in the leadership election — just 70 percent of eligible members cast their votes — will only add to doubt about whether the SNP remains an engaging force. Speaking in Edinburgh Monday, Yousaf vowed to “lead the SNP in the interests of all party members, not just those who voted for me” and to “lead Scotland in the interests of all of our citizens.” The party split over both issues, with politicians once loyal to Sturgeon beginning to openly express their discontent. “Humza has a lot of work to do to bring the party together, and deliver competent government that people want to see,” one senior SNP MSP said. Indeed, Yousaf now faces the prospect of leading a party that only narrowly voted for him — and the closeness of the result is likely to be studied closely because Forbes at one point looked definitively out for the count.

Scotland's outgoing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said Humza Yousaf will be an “outstanding” successor as she congratulated him on his appointment as ...

“Unfortunately, we have serious concerns about his ability. He has a big job on to reunite his party and the cause.” “Most of all I congratulate @HumzaYousaf and wish him every success. Regardless of your politics, this is a significant moment for Scotland. He said: “I would like to congratulate Humza Yousaf on becoming the first minority ethnic leader of his party. He said: “I congratulate Humza Yousaf on his election, and on becoming the first leader of his party from an ethnic minority.

Stephen Kinnock, a shadow immigration minister, was the second MP to speak in the illegal migration bill debate. He said Labour had its own plan to stop ...

He added: “My amendment ensures that the policy of removal can go ahead notwithstanding any decision of the European court. we found that we couldn’t achieve what we wanted with the borders bill.” Hayes added: “We will not be given a third chance. So, the minister needs to know that we’ve been down this road before with the (Nationality and Borders Bill). “Of course, we were told that the borders bill would do the job. The former barrister told MPs: “I think we should be very wary of quick fixes.

Mr Yousaf, who has been Scottish Health Secretary since 2021, succeeds Nicola Sturgeon in that role, and will now be formally elected by MSPs as Scotland's ...

Congratulations @HumzaYousaf elected leader of the SNP”. “He will be an outstanding leader and first minister and I could not be prouder to have him succeed me.” Mr Yousaf said serving as first minister would be “the greatest privilege and honour of my life”, telling people across the country: “I will be a First Minister for all of Scotland.” And he stressed he was “determined” to secure independence for Scotland, saying: “Joining the SNP, for me, was an act of hope and also statement of intent.” “From the Punjab to our Parliament, this is a journey over generations that reminds us that we should be celebrating and always celebrate the migrants who contribute so much to our country.” He will be the first person from an ethnic minority background to be first minister and the first Muslim to lead the country – as well as the youngest ever first minister.

Part of the SNP government for over a decade, the 37-year-old is now Holyrood's first minority ethnic leader after a bitter contest.

But being the continuity candidate will be to his advantage, too: the ministers and advisers who built Sturgeon’s election-winning government are now likely to swing behind him and may already have planned out his first 100 days. He was accused of missing the final vote on same-sex marriage in 2014 after facing pressure from Muslim leaders, a charge that Yousaf denies. Labour argues that Yousaf has consistently botched his job and has “failed upwards”. Yousaf worked initially as a parliamentary aide to the SNP’s first Asian MSP, Bashir Ahmad, and then for Salmond, before becoming an MSP for the first time on the Glasgow regional list in 2011; soon after, he was picked as Salmond’s minister for external affairs and international development. In 2016 he won the constituency seat of Glasgow Pollok from Labour. Being attacked so vigorously by Forbes, a conservative Christian critical of many of Sturgeon’s most popular gender-equality policies, reinforced Yousaf’s status as their flag-carrier, too.

Scottish health secretary set to become first minister on Wednesday after securing 52% of vote.

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New leader needs to convince Scotland that he can take the SNP in a fresh direction.

Yousaf’s allies suggest he has been underestimated but admit it is up to him to demonstrate his talents. It will involve countering his rival Kate Forbes’s attack that he was incompetent in the three policy briefs he held. He initially said he would take legal action, but then suggested he would only proceed if the advice suggested he could win. Yet his opponents suggest that if there was any real hope of another independence referendum, Sturgeon would still be in post. “He’s got to show he’s prepared to do that,” one said of Yousaf. Downing Street has already made it clear that Sunak’s response to Yousaf will be no different.

Mr Yousaf defeated the current Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan in what was the SNP's first leadership ...

“Unfortunately, we have serious concerns about his ability. He has a big job on to reunite his party and the cause.” “Most of all I congratulate @HumzaYousaf and wish him every success. Regardless of your politics, this is a significant moment for Scotland. He said: “I would like to congratulate Humza Yousaf on becoming the first minority ethnic leader of his party. He said: “I congratulate Humza Yousaf on his election, and on becoming the first leader of his party from an ethnic minority.

Humza Yousaf faces some enormous challenges as he takes over from Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and Scotland's first minister. Being the leader of a divided ...

At the start of the leadership contest Humza Yousaf seemed committed to challenging that position in court. While that is substantially true, it may not be the only factor. I expect that whatever she might be offered, Kate Forbes would want a fair amount of autonomy if she is to continue in government. Then of course there are significant policy issues to be addressed. That's not a prediction. In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged the "bruising" nature of the leadership campaign and called for divisions to be healed quickly.

Mr Yousaf, who has been Scottish Health Secretary since 2021, succeeds Nicola Sturgeon in that role, and will now be formally elected by MSPs as Scotland's ...

Mr Yousaf said serving as first minister would be “the greatest privilege and honour of my life”, telling people across the country: “I will be a First Minister for all of Scotland.” “From the Punjab to our Parliament, this is a journey over generations that reminds us that we should be celebrating and always celebrate the migrants who contribute so much to our country.” He will be the first person from an ethnic minority background to be first minister and the first Muslim to lead the country – as well as the youngest ever first minister.

The health secretary who managed to prevent nurse strikes in Scotland has been elected as the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and is set to ...

At the time, Mr Yousaf was the only candidate to respond to the letter, in which he said he had “listened to the calls” from the RCN which led to the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce being established. “It is vital that the work of the taskforce continues to be led by the cabinet secretary for health and social care and that this work proceeds at pace.” Mr Poolman called on the new first minister to tackle the workforce crisis, prioritise the work of the new Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce, “and live up to his promise to reform Agenda for Change and make nursing a career of choice once again”. During a speech following his appointment, Mr Yousaf said that if he was elected as first minister after tomorrow’s vote, he would work “every minute of every day” to earn and re-earn the respect of Scottish citizens. Meanwhile, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) called on Mr Yousaf to ensure that tackling severe workforce challenges in the country's health and care services was a "top priority". Humza Yousaf, who has served as the cabinet secretary for health and social care since 2021, announced this afternoon that one of his immediate priorities as leader would be “to recover and reform” the NHS in Scotland.

Downing Street said it would reject any formal request for indyref2 should Mr Yousaf ask for one.

Those are the issues that the public care about and that’s what the Government will be focused on.” It’s time to hold Westminster’s feet to the fire.” The way we get independence is making sure we get a consistent majority for independence. He added: “I hope we can get independence within five years. “The people of Scotland have voted in election after election not for who the First Minister should be, but for Scotland to have a choice on its future,” he added. Calling for Mr Yousaf to “reunite the movement” for independence, he said: “Continuity won’t cut it.

The 37-year-old will become the youngest to win the job as one of the country's most powerful politicians when SNP and Scottish Green parliamentarians in ...

Mr Yousaf said they “reaffirmed our support” for the agreement which would “maintain our pro-independence majority” at the Parliament and “deliver for the people of Scotland”. The Scottish Greens have renewed their backing for the deal after Mr Yousaf was named party leader on Monday and, later in the evening, co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvey met him at St Andrew’s House. After he wins the vote he will be sworn in as first minister of Scotland at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Wednesday, and then on Thursday he will face rival party leaders in his opening First Minister’s Questions.

Humza Yousaf faces some enormous challenges as he takes over from Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and Scotland's first minister. Being the leader of a divided ...

At the start of the leadership contest Humza Yousaf seemed committed to challenging that position in court. While that is substantially true, it may not be the only factor. I expect that whatever she might be offered, Kate Forbes would want a fair amount of autonomy if she is to continue in government. Then of course there are significant policy issues to be addressed. That's not a prediction. In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged the "bruising" nature of the leadership campaign and called for divisions to be healed quickly.

A poll by Ipsos Scotland found 50 of adults felt things were going in the wrong direction, with just 25 saying the opposite.

On improving living standards for people on low incomes, 27% said the Government had done a good job while 45% said it had done a bad job, a net of minus 18. On improving people’s own standards of living, 45% said it had done a bad job, while 21% said it had done a good job, a rating of minus 24. As in earlier polls, SNP voters were more optimistic about Scotland’s direction.

The SNP's new leader will be confirmed as Scotland's sixth first minister after a vote in the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Yousaf described himself as the "luckiest man in the world" after being confirmed as the new SNP leader and pledged to be a "first minister for all of Scotland." She added: "As transport minister the trains never ran on time, as justice secretary he trashed the justice system, he has been the worst health secretary in the history of devolution and I am worried he has simply failed upwards, is out of his depth and is incompetent and I worry for the country." Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said it was "obvious that Humza Yousaf has the wrong priorities for Scotland" as he confirmed he would stand against him in the first minister vote. He told voters he would "work every minute of every day to earn and re-earn your respect and your trust" and said he would "kickstart" a grassroots campaign that would "ensure our drive for independence is in fifth gear". All of the candidates will make a brief speech before the vote, with Mr Yousaf expected to be formally sworn in as first minister in a brief ceremony at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Wednesday. Humza Yousaf is to be formally elected as Scotland's sixth first minister in a vote in the Scottish Parliament.

Newly appointed leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Humza Yousaf speaks at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on March 27, 2023. Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty ...

“We will be the generation that delivers independence for Scotland,” he said in a victory speech. It remains etched into the memories of many who experienced it, and their descendents. Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman also has Indian roots, while London mayor Sadiq Khan was born to a working-class Pakistani immigrant family. In 2014, Scotland voted against independence by 55%. The hardship reached a breaking point when his grandmother was attacked with an axe, he said. His mother was born in Nairobi, Kenya, also to a family from Punjabi descent. But 75 years since the end of the British Raj, many commentators have remarked at how history has come full circle. [interview](https://www.holyrood.com/inside-politics/view,interview-humza-yousaf-on-tackling-hate-headon_9401.htm) with Scotland’s Holyrood newspaper, Yousaf explained in detail how his mother’s family faced racial discrimination in the East African city for being seen as taking away jobs from the local population. Yousaf joined the SNP while he was a student at the University of Glasgow and rose through the ranks of the party, becoming a member of parliament in 2011 – the first Muslim and non-White cabinet minister to serve in the Scottish Government. Noor Ahmed, from the Citizen’s Archive of Pakistan, a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural and historic preservation, described the journey Yousaf has taken as a “Pakistani story that is moving and aspirational, and will be lauded locally.” On Tuesday, the Scottish Parliament will vote to elect the country’s sixth first minister, a position Yousaf is expected to claim as the head of the party with the most lawmakers. “It was time to get away and again, it made sense because there was a British call for people from the Commonwealth to come and take on industrial jobs,” Yousaf said.

The 37-year-old will become the youngest to win the job as one of the country's most powerful politicians when SNP and Scottish Green parliamentarians in ...

Mr Yousaf said they “reaffirmed our support” for the agreement which would “maintain our pro-independence majority” at the Parliament and “deliver for the people of Scotland”. The Scottish Greens have renewed their backing for the deal after Mr Yousaf was named party leader on Monday and, later in the evening, co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvey met him at St Andrew’s House. After he wins the vote he will be sworn in as first minister of Scotland at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Wednesday, and then on Thursday he will face rival party leaders in his opening First Minister’s Questions.

He has pledged to be a "first minister for all of Scotland" after being chosen by party members to replace Nicola Sturgeon. Mr Yousaf, who had been serving as ...

Humza Yousaf has indicated he would like to continue that support, and indeed make it more of a priority for the Scottish government. Or does more of the focus need to be on poverty and disadvantage itself? None of these are simple, single issues to be filed away. An appeal for extra funding was met instead with the threat of 10% cuts. There's the clamour, notably from retailers, to reform business rates. Humza Yousaf is well aware of the mammoth task required to fix the problems across health and social care. And there is a question mark over economic strategy. But to deliver that will have to involve unpopular decisions about what the healthcare system can and cannot afford. But worries have been expressed that it is sometimes proving harder for other young people - who are not necessarily actively advantaged - to get places on certain courses. Can the government properly reset its strained relationship with teachers after the recent strike? It wanted to be judged by its progress raising attainment and helping children and young people from disadvantaged areas. Inevitably, the pandemic has thrown up new problems which are still real issues.

He has pledged to be a "first minister for all of Scotland" after being chosen by party members to replace Nicola Sturgeon. Mr Yousaf, who had been serving as ...

Humza Yousaf has indicated he would like to continue that support, and indeed make it more of a priority for the Scottish government. Does more of the focus need to be on poverty and disadvantage itself? None of these are simple, single issues to be filed away. An appeal for extra funding was met instead with the threat of 10% cuts. There's the clamour, notably from retailers, to reform business rates. Humza Yousaf is well aware of the mammoth task required to fix the problems across health and social care. And there is a question mark over economic strategy. But to deliver that will have to involve unpopular decisions about what the healthcare system can and cannot afford. But worries have been expressed that it is sometimes proving harder for other young people - who are not necessarily actively advantaged - to get places on certain courses. Can the government properly reset its strained relationship with teachers after the recent strike? It wanted to be judged by its progress raising attainment and helping children and young people from disadvantaged areas. Inevitably, the pandemic has thrown up new problems which are still real issues.

The new SNP leader promised to 'respect the views' of opposition parties and to 'never shy away from tackling the big issues' faced by Scotland.

"I will work every hour of every day to harness the potential of Scotland and every single person in it. [Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts](https://podfollow.com/skynewsdaily) A party I joined almost 20 years ago and that I love so dearly." I will lead a government that listens carefully and respects the views of all MSPs. [shock resignation last month](https://news.sky.com/story/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-is-to-resign-12811532), the race to replace her featured [rows over religious beliefs](https://news.sky.com/story/kate-forbes-says-her-campaign-for-scotlands-first-minister-not-over-after-equal-marriage-backlash-12816283), arguments about the [recollection of past events](https://news.sky.com/story/snp-leadership-hopeful-humza-yousaf-skipped-key-vote-on-gay-marriage-due-to-religious-pressure-says-scotlands-former-first-minister-alex-salmond-12823551), and widespread criticism of [secrecy surrounding the vote](https://news.sky.com/story/snp-has-lost-around-30-000-party-members-since-2021-12835441). [victory in the SNP leadership race on Monday](https://news.sky.com/story/humza-yousaf-announced-as-new-scottish-national-party-leader-replacing-nicola-sturgeon-12843363), the 37-year-old faced a vote at Holyrood to confirm him as Nicola Sturgeon's successor.

Voiced by artificial intelligence. LONDON — Humza Yousaf will replace Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland's first minister tomorrow, after the Scottish parliament ...

Yousaf will then begin the process of assembling his cabinet. Currently first minister-designate, Yousaf will formally become first minister tomorrow morning when he is sworn in at the Court of Session. After second preference votes were taken into account, he won 52.1 percent of the vote compared to 47.9 percent for Forbes.

He takes over from Nicola Sturgeon in the top job in the Scottish Government.

He revealed that the first call he received after being made Health Secretary was from his mother, who was keen to find out what job he had been given in the Cabinet reshuffle. His father, who is from Pakistan, and his mother, from Kenya, moved to the UK in the 1960s. After being elected in 2011 as a Glasgow region MSP, he took his oath to the Queen in English and in Urdu.