The Commons: Chaos in Holyrood

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On April 29th, it was announced that Scottish First Minster, Humza Yousaf, was resigning from his post. The resignation has come after multiple calls for the First Minster to step down, potential no-confidence votes, and the collapse of the coalition government.

Only two weeks ago, there were barely signs of any imminent threat to Yousaf’s reign in Scotland, but his controversial deal to end the Scottish National Party’s power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens put the wheels in motion for his eventual resignation twelve days after he announced the severing of the deal.

Yousaf’s sudden decision to end the agreement without any real warning “angered the Greens” who were left in shock at Yousaf’s announcement. The SNP has been in government since 2007, but the point of power-sharing agreements is to allow the party with the most seats to govern effectively, and by canceling the deal, Yousaf left the Scottish government on the verge of a potential collapse.

Yousaf, who was Scottish First Minster for just over twelve months, made history by becoming the first Muslim leader of any of the UK’s ‘big parties’. This was a massive milestone for all involved, and Yousaf’s reign started with massive hope and potential for Scotland to move forward after Nicola Sturgeon’s 8 years as First Minster.

Interestingly, the power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens that led to the downfall of Humza Yousaf was actually signed by Nicola Sturgeon. The deal was signed between the SNP and the Greens after the 2021 elections where the SNP were the biggest party but needed the power-sharing agreement in order to govern effectively.

This helped to increase the influence and power of the Greens in Holyrood, which could have explained their fury at the former First Minster Humza Yousaf for severing the agreement.

Yousaf argued that the deal between the two parties had “served its purpose.” The trigger point between the power-sharing agreement being terminated was due to differences in Yousaf’s thinking on the climate and the ideas of the Scottish Greens.

The Scottish Greens, a party that focuses on making Scotland more sustainable and climate-friendly, was very unhappy that the Scottish government decided to move away from its aim to “cut Scotland’s carbon emissions by 75% by 2030”.

This was a policy target that had been agreed upon in principle back when the power-sharing agreement was first made in 2021, but it seems like Yousaf wasn’t as fond of the idea as Sturgeon. Despite facing immense pressure from his own party and peers in Holyrood, Yousaf was adamant that he would stick to his own principles and not cave into any pressure.

Despite Yousaf wanting to stick to his principles in regard to the power-sharing agreement formed under Nicola Sturgeon, this was most likely the point of no return for him with his time as First Minster.

Power-sharing agreements are vital for any government without a majority in their parliament as it allows for them to govern effectively, and pass legislation suited to the needs of the country and the parties whenever it is necessary.

Without a power-sharing agreement or any type of coalition between parties, there is a heightened possibility of a government shutdown due to the difference in ideological thinking between all the parties in parliament, especially in this era of polarization.

As a result of this, the Scottish National Party reacted very negatively to Yousaf’s decision to cancel the power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens and scheduled a vote of no-confidence, which was due to be held but the resignation of Yousaf a few days before meant the future of this vote is in the unknown.

The sudden resignation of Yousaf just over a year into his term as First Minster means that the SNP are faced with the task of facing a suitable leader to guide the party and the country out of the current issues they face.

The current favorite to become the next First Minster and leader of the Scottish National Party is John Swinney, who has held a government position before as the Deputy First Minster of Scotland.

However, former First Minster Humza Yousaf has previously stated that he “would not endorse either potential candidate” in regard to rumored runner Kate Forbes and Sweeney. Forbes has now ruled herself out of the race and has backed John Sweeney. Instead of endorsing someone, Yousaf has reiterated how important unity and stability is in the current political environment whilst urging the SNP to come together.

Nevertheless, it does indeed look like there will be a contested race for the leader of the party and country, with Sweeney being the only one to announce his candidacy. He has also admitted the party is not as unified as it should be and has vowed to “bring the SNP back together again”.

Yousaf has stated that he will be remaining as First Minster until a successor is found in order to provide continuity. The SNP has faced multiple scandals and issues over the last 15-18 months, and finding a leader to provide solidity whilst also bringing the country together could prove to be a deciding factor in the hunt for a new First Minster.

As it stands, Swinney is the only person to announce a run for the First Minster, and whether he will be the only one is not yet known, but undoubtedly the next First Minster will have an important task of unifying both the country and the Scottish National Party.