Humza Yousaf says politics is ‘brutal’ as he quits as Scotland’s First Minister

A leadership contest will now take place to find a new SNP leader and Scottish First Minister.

Humza Yousaf has announced he is to step down as First Minister of Scotland (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

Humza Yousaf admitted “politics can be a brutal business” as he announced his resignation as Scotland’s first minister just four days after tearing up the powersharing agreement the SNP had with the Scottish Greens.

The collapse of that deal had seen Mr Yousaf facing two votes of no confidence in the Scottish Parliament.

But before those votes could take place, he announced he would be stepping down from the job he said he had been “blessed” to have.

A leadership contest could now take place to find a new SNP leader, who would also become the country’s seventh first minister.

Monday’s announcement came after Mr Yousaf had spent the weekend contemplating if there was any way he could remain as the head of the Scottish Government.

Without an SNP majority at Holyrood, and with the Greens having made clear they could no longer support Mr Yousaf remaining in post, there had been speculation he could turn to Ash Regan of the Alba Party in a bid to win a no confidence vote.

But with an arrangement with Alba, led by Alex Salmond, unpalatable to many within the SNP, Mr Yousaf said he was not willing to “do deals with whomever simply for retaining power”.

Instead, he appealed to opposition leaders at Holyrood to “collaborate” with the SNP as they seek to run a minority administration under a new leader.

Politics can be a brutal business. It takes its toll on your physical and mental health, your family suffer along side you

Humza Yousaf, First Minister

Mr Yousaf said he had hoped to be able to continue working with the Scottish Greens, despite tearing up their powersharing deal.

He had wanted to have a “less formal arrangement” but he acknowledged: “Unfortunately, in ending the Bute House Agreement in the manner I did, I clearly underestimated the level of hurt and upset I caused Green colleagues.”

Announcing his resignation, Mr Yousaf stressed: “I bear no ill will, and certainly bear no grudge against anyone.

“Politics can be a brutal business. It takes its toll on your physical and mental health, your family suffer along side you.”

He became emotional as he paid tribute to his “wonderful wife” and “beautiful children”, telling his family: “You are truly everything to me.”

He added: “And although, as you can tell, I am sad my time as First Minister is ending, I am so grateful and so blessed for having the opportunity afforded to so few, to lead my country.”

The announcement of his resignation comes exactly 13 months after Mr Yousaf was sworn in as Scotland’s sixth first minister – at the time becoming the youngest person and the first person from a minority background to hold the post.

He said that when he was growing up he “could never have dreamt that one day I would have the privilege of leading my country”.

Mr Yousaf said: “People who looked like me were not in positions of political influence, let alone leading governments when I was younger.”

But he noted that the UK now has a a Hindu prime minister, a Muslim mayor of London, a black Welsh first minister and “for a little while longer, a Scots Asian first minister of this country”.