Humza Yousaf vows to stay in power – as pressure builds on his government
Embattled Humza Yousaf has told Sky News he will not resign as Scotland’s first minister.
Pressure has been building on the SNP leader after he tore up the power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens – prompting a no-confidence motion in his leadership and a threatened knife-edge vote.
First Minister Humza Yousaf insists he is getting on with the job. Pic: PA
However, Mr Yousaf, on a visit to Dundee that was arranged at short notice after he pulled out of a speech in Glasgow, insisted he was getting on with the job and accused the opposition of “playing games”.
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He said he would be writing to the leaders of all Scottish political parties to seek talks on making a minority government work.
He told Sky News’ Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies: “I intend absolutely to fight that vote of no confidence, I’ve got every intention of winning that vote of no confidence.
“And let me say to the opposition for minority government to work in the interest of the people of Scotland also requires the opposition to act in good faith.”
Mr Yousaf has been left fighting for his political survival after his former allies in the Scottish Greens vowed to vote against him in a motion of no confidence, lodged by the Tories.
The crisis was sparked after Mr Yousaf dramatically brought the power-sharing deal with the Greens to an end on Thursday.
It followed tensions over the administration’s climbdown on climate targets and the decision to pause the prescription of new puberty blockers at Scotland’s only gender clinic for young people.
The ditching of the deal, branded an act of “political cowardice” by the Greens, means the SNP will now operate as a minority administration at Holyrood.
Referring to the Greens, whose co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater were dumped this week as junior ministers, Mr Yousaf said he had “heard their anger, their upset”.
He added: “What I will do is be writing to all the political party leaders, all the party groups represented in the Scottish parliament, including of course Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, asking them to meet with me, to say how do we make minority government work.
“It’s in the best interests of the people of Scotland that all of us act in good faith and make it work.”
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A tight vote is expected at Holyrood next week, where 64 out of 128 MSPs are poised to oppose Mr Yousaf continuing as first minister.
The SNP have 63 MSPs at Holyrood while there is also Ash Regan, a former leadership rival to Mr Yousaf, who defected to Alex Salmond’s Alba Party last October.
Ash Regan. Pic: PA
She has written to the first minister, setting out demands in exchange for her crucial support, including progress on Scottish independence and defending “the rights of women and children”.
In the event of a tie-break, the presiding officer Alison Johnstone, who traditionally does not vote, would be expected to support the status quo.
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Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has also sought to tighten the screw by lodging a no-confidence motion in the entire devolved government – rather than just Mr Yousaf – which carries more far-reaching implications, including the prospect of an election.
Mr Sarwar: “It’s a matter now of when – not if – Humza Yousaf will step down as first minister.
“It would be untenable for the SNP to assume it can impose another unelected first minister on Scotland.”
Both the Tories and Liberal Democrats in Scotland have said they will support the Labour-led motion.
However, the move is unlikely to secure enough support with Alba coming out against it and accusing Mr Sarwar of “grandstanding”.
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The defence secretary has said he is “angry inside” over the infected blood scandal ahead of a long-waited report into the decades-long injustice.
Grant Shapps told Sky News he agreed it had been one of the most “shameful failures” of government and said he was dismayed by the “lack of anybody taking responsibility”.
The findings of a public inquiry into the scandal, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, are due to be published on Monday.
From 1970 to the 1990s, tens of thousands of people were infected with contaminated blood through blood products or blood transfusions given via the NHS. People were infected with hepatitis or HIV – in some cases with both.
An estimated 3,000 people died as a result.
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Mr Shapps told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that the scandal was a “massive injustice which needs to be put right” and said the government would act on the report.
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Thousands of people died after being given infected blood
He said that while he was yet to see the report, he hoped it would finally allow families’ pain and loss to be acknowledged and for the government to properly respond.
Mr Shapps said he had spoken to relatives of several victims, including a couple who had lost their son, and said their stories made feel him “angry inside”.
He added: “It just made me angry to know they had lost their son without anyone ever taking responsibility, so I think this is why this report tomorrow is very important.”
Successive governments have been blamed for failing to take responsibility and the current government has been accused of trying to delay compensation to victims after an inquiry was first set up by Theresa May in 2017.
It is estimated that the compensation bill could now exceed £10m.
The defence secretary admitted the process of delivering payouts to victims had gone on for “so long”.
He added: “This is a massive injustice which needs to be put right.
“And I know the government said we will. The report tomorrow, I think, will be the day for that family and others and I know the government will want to respond quickly.”
Asked whether Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would apologise to the victims, Mr Shapps said: “I don’t want to mislead because I don’t have special insight into that.”
Read more:
Boy, 7, was used in secret blood trials, parents say
Doctor’s horror over scandal
Blood donations ‘collected from UK prisons’
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Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting also told Trevor Phillips that he expected “successive governments” to be criticised in the report by Sir Brian.
“Everyone has got their responsibility to bear in this appalling scandal and we have got a shared responsibility to put it right,” he said.
“The moment to act can’t come soon enough.”
Sir Brian is due to deliver his final report just after midday on Monday.
This move follows a recent crackdown that involved confiscating 2,000 cryptocurrency mining devices as part of an anti-corruption initiative.
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