Humza Yousaf is said to be considering resigning as Scotland’s first minister ahead of two votes of confidence in Holyrood this week.
The SNP leader’s premiership has been hanging by a thread since he ended the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens last week.
Reports today suggest he will step down from his role rather than face parliament after the Scottish Tories tabled a motion of no confidence in him and Scottish Labour submitted a similar motion against his Government.
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Keir Starmer could be the big winner in the SNP meltdown
The latest phase of the SNP meltdown is likely to have one big winner – Keir Starmer.
Up until 2015, when Labour was put to the sword by the separatists, it dominated north of the border.
But in 2019 the party secured just two constituencies.
Sir Keir is hoping a swathe of seats in Scotland can help bolster his chances of a majority at the general election – as used to be the case for Tony Blair.
Scottish Labour has already been in resurgence under its chief Anas Sarwar.
The long-running police probe into the SNP’s finances has undoubtedly helped Mr Sarwar claw back ground.
The prospect of a Labour government at Westminster also helps, as they become seen as the best option for the strong anti-Tory vote in Scotland.
Labour insiders say with every extra percentage of support in Scotland, more constituencies come into play as the SNP’s margins of victory were relatively small in 2019.
Humza Yousaf’s best bet to save his skin is Alba Party MSP Ash Regan
The most likely candidate he faced the chance of converting was Ash Regan, the sole MSP in Alex Salmond’s Alba Party.
Mr Yousaf previously described her departure from the SNP in October last year as ‘no great loss’.
Ms Regan, a former SNP leadership rival to Mr Yousaf, wrote to him with a list of priorities over the weekend, including ‘defending the rights of women and children’. That is thought to mean accepting the results of the Cass review, which criticised gender therapies, in full.
Alba Party MP Kenny MacAskill told the BBC the party is open for ‘discussions’.
He said: ‘If Humza Yousaf resigns that a personal tragedy for him, but it’s a rather absurd situation when there is an opportunity to get back in the Independence track.
‘It is a matter for him. He has brought this about with his own actions and he will stand or fall on it. The position of the Alba Party is quite clear. We are happy to enter into discussions. It is not a blank cheque. We are not guaranteeing our support.’
Humza Yousaf needs to convince one opposition MSP to hold onto power
The SNP leader, who took over from Ms Sturgeon in March 2023, is facing two votes of no confidence, one in him personally from the Tories and another in his government from Labour.
Excluding the presiding officer there are 128 MSPs in total, but the SNP only has 63 votes while the other opposition parties have 65.
Over the weekend Mr Yousaf has been exploring options to convince one of the opposition party MSPs to vote to save his government.
If he managed to get to 64 votes and tie the vote, the presiding officer would back the status quo, so he would be able to hold on.
Nicola Sturgeon’s longtime deputy Jon Swinney ‘to become new interim leader’
Veteran Sturgeon ally John Swinney is said to have been approached by senior party figures to become an interim first minister if Mr Yousaf is forced from office.
Humza Yousaf ‘has broken trust’ with Scottish Green Party, says co-leader Patrick Harvie
Co-leader of the Scottish Green Party Patrick Harvie has said he ‘bears no personal ill will’ towards the SNP leader but added that he ‘has broken trust’ with his party.
He said ‘I do want to say there is a human impact to all of this – a human element. I don’t bear Humza Yousaf personal ill will or malice in any way at all. I take no pleasure at all – none of us in the Greens do – in the turbulence and chaos of the last weel or two.
‘But it is clear that Humza Yousaf, in the decision that he made last week, has broken trust with the Scottish Greens and cannot command a majority in Parliament’.
Welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage of the SNP crisis that could see Humza Yousaf resign
Follow our Live Blog as we will be providing live updates on the situation in Holyrood as First Minister Humza Yousaf’s political career hangs by a thread.
The SNP leader is poised to go after failing to drum up enough support to survive a confidence vote.
Mr Yousaf has been frantically wooing MSPs over the weekend, but appears to have concluded there is no way of surviving.
Allies have been suggesting the SNP leader will not ‘do a deal with the devil’ by agreeing terms with Alex Salmond, whose Alba Party potentially holds the balance at Holyrood.
Defeat would risk sparking a snap election in Scotland, with the separatists fearing big losses to Labour.
It would be a dramatic fall for Mr Yousaf, who took over from Nicola Sturgeon barely a year ago.
After he summarily ditched the Greens from the Bute House coalition deal – and publicly humiliated them by making them do a walk of shame in view of cameras – they pledged to back a no confidence motion tabled by the Tories.
It was expected go to a vote later this week.
Key Updates
Humza Yousaf ‘has broken trust’ with Scottish Green Party, says co-leader Patrick Harvie
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Humza Yousaf latest updates: Scotland’s first minister ‘to resign TODAY’ amid fears SNP leader cannot survive two confidence votes in his premiership