Humza Yousaf considers resigning as soon as TODAY amid looming no confidence votes
WATCH: Tom and Emily unveil Humza 'Yousleaf'
Humza Yousaf is said to be preparing to quit as Scotland’s Fiirst Minister, with sources close to him saying he has accepted his position is no longer tenable.
Senior figures in the SNP have been told the party's leader decided there is no way to survive the upcoming vote of no confidence, meaning he may stand down as soon as today.
A close friend of the First Minister told the Times: “Humza knows what’s best for the country and the party. He is first party activist and a party man, and that’s why he knows it’s time for someone else.”
Former SNP leader John Swinney is said to have been approached by senior figures in the party to become an interim First Minister if Yousaf is forced to reisgn.
The First Minister is facing two votes of no confidence this week after his coalition with the Greens broke down
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If Yousaf resigns, Holyrood would have 28 days to elect a first minister by a simple majority.
Last week, the First Minister said he would not resign, instead planning to fight the two no confidence votes.
No confidence motions were tabled after the Bute House Agreement, which enabled a coalition between the Greens and the SNP, was dropped following an emergency Cabinet meeting at Bute House in Edinburgh.
The deal, which was signed in 2021 and is named after the official residence of the Scottish First Minister in Edinburgh, brought the Green Party into government for the first time anywhere in the UK.
The First Minister is facing two votes of no confidence this week after his coalition with the Greens broke down.
One was tabled by the Scottish Conservatives in his own leadership as First Minister. The second vote, tabled by Scottish Labour, would force his entire government to resign.
The Greens are due to meet later on Monday but have repeatedly ruled out supporting him in the personal vote.
The Scottish Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have already said they will vote against him.
If Yousaf resigns, Holyrood would have 28 days to elect a first minister by a simple majority
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Douglas Ross told MSPs at First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood his party had said from the start that the agreement between the SNP and the Greens was a "coalition of chaos" and that it had now "ended in chaos".
He said: "I can confirm today that on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives I am lodging a vote of no confidence in Humza Yousaf."