Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf resigns amid fallout over climate policy

In an effort to save his government, Yousaf had written to all party leaders asking for separate meetings to discuss their concerns “in a hopefully constructive spirit.”

With the other parties lined up against him, the tight electoral math in Scotland meant that Yousaf’s fate hinged on the upstart Alba Party, which holds just one seat in the Scottish parliament. The SNP has 63 of the 128 voting lawmakers, leaving Yousaf one vote short of what he needed to eke out a victory.

Despite the party’s recent troubles – it lost its previous leader, former first minister Nicola Sturgeon in February last year – the SNP has been the dominant party in Scottish politics for almost two decades. It currently holds 43 of Scotland’s 59 seats in the UK’s Westminster parliament.

However, the SNP appears to be losing popular support after 17 years at the helm of the Scottish government. Earlier this month, polling firm YouGov said the Labour Party had overtaken the SNP in voting intentions for a Westminster election for the first time in a decade.

The SNP now has 28 days to choose a new first minister before an election is forced. Former SNP leader John Swinney and Yousaf’s former leadership rival Kate Forbes are seen as possible successors.

If the SNP is unable to find a new leader to command support in parliament, a Scottish election will be held.

The latest upheaval in Scotland adds to the fevered political climate of uncertainty in the broader United Kingdom, where concerns about immigration, healthcare and government spending have undermined support for the ruling Conservative Party.

On Thursday, England and Wales will hold local elections that are seen as barometer of support for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government.

Labour’s resurgence in Scotland adds to the challenge facing Sunak, who is also lagging far behind Labour in UK-wide opinion polls.

Reuters, AP