Humza Yousaf is 'hanging on by a thread' and now faces a knife-edge no confidence vote after the SNP deal with the Greens ends in bitter acrimony

Humza Yousaf's job was 'hanging on a thread' last night after he plunged his government into crisis by dumping the SNP's Green coalition partners. 

He was branded a 'lame duck First Minister' after he announced a major U-turn by scrapping the Bute House Agreement despite previously being its biggest cheerleader within the SNP. 

He said that he would instead attempt to run the country with a minority government – in a move that will make it impossible to pass legislation without winning support from the opposition benches. 

Critics condemned Mr Yousaf's 'kamikaze' move as it immediately backfired when opponents said they would hold a vote of no confidence in him – and the Greens confirmed they would support it.

If a majority of MSPs back the vote, which is likely to take place next week, Mr Yousaf would be under intense pressure to resign.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said: 'We said from the beginning this was a coalition of chaos and it has ended in chaos. Humza Yousaf's government is in crisis. He claims it is now a new beginning, but really it is the beginning of the end. Isn't Humza Yousaf a lame duck First Minister?'

After he lodged the motion of no confidence, Mr Ross said: 'He was bounced into ditching the Bute House Agreement by his own MSPs. The only leadership he has shown has been weak. His time as First Minister is up.'

Mr Yousaf unilaterally announced the move without an SNP member vote following an emergency meeting of his Cabinet yesterday.

The Greens said they would back a no confidence vote.

It means his future is reliant on whether he can persuade Ash Regan, the former SNP leadership candidate and now Alba MSP, to back him. Mr Yousaf described her departure from the SNP last year as 'no great loss'.

If he were to lose the vote, Mr Yousaf would be under pressure to resign. If he fails to do so, opposition parties could call a further no confidence vote in the Government, which would require him to resign if a majority backed it.

Liz Lloyd, former chief of staff to Nicola Sturgeon, told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme: 'I think it is arguable that Humza Yousaf did need to end the agreement. But what wasn't needed was to end it in such a brutal fashion.

'It could have come to an end by agreement.

'It has led to the position where Humza Yousaf is hanging on a thread as to whether he can stay as First Minister.'

Former first minister Alex Salmond said: 'Humza has to understand he is no longer in the position of ruling the roost. I can only describe his tactics as kamikaze.

'He has insulted every opposition party in the parliament. There's a number of things you can and can't do when you are leading a minority administration, and one of them is not to insult all of the opposition parties.

'Humza is going to need to mend his ways and do it very quickly.'

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: 'This chaotic and incompetent government is falling apart before our eyes while Scots pay the price.'

At an 8am meeting with Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, Mr Yousaf told them he would be 'terminating' their ministerial roles. He then met his Cabinet to inform them. Mr Yousaf's spokesman said ministers banged on the table in approval.

Just days prior to the announcement, Mr Yousaf publicly backed the partnership agreement.

At a press conference yesterday he denied he had made a weak and reactive decision.

He was asked if he was a 'lame duck leader who is heading for the exit door' and he responded: 'No, not at all. We are taking control as a party and indeed as a government on our priority terms.'

Former leadership rival Kate Forbes insisted she would support him in the no confidence vote.

Fergus Ewing, who repeatedly spoke out against the Bute House Agreement, challenged Mr Yousaf to 'do a spring clean of the policies and programmes'.

No confidence vote that could sink Yousaf is on a knife edge

By Jessica North 

Humza Yousaf's leadership was unravelling last night as he was warned ditching his coalition of chaos with the Greens was just the 'beginning of the end'.

In a day of high drama, the SNP leader was accused of dragging his party into 'absolute chaos' after unceremoniously ending the powersharing agreement.

It means that the First Minister will now lead a minority government and could face an uphill battle to pass any of his policies through parliament.

The Scottish Conservatives immediately called for a vote of no confidence in Mr Yousaf, which would force him to step down if he loses.

Scottish Labour said it would back anything that undermines Mr Yousaf's position and demanded a Holyrood election be called.

The Scottish Lib Dems also said there were 'no circumstances' in which they would offer their support to Mr Yousaf in next week's vote.

And furious Scottish Greens confirmed they would not back the First Minister after he ended their partnership.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: 'I can confirm today that on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives, I am lodging a vote of no confidence in Humza Yousaf. He is a failed First Minister, he is focused on the wrong priorities for Scotland. He [runs a] government in the SNP's interests and not in Scotland's interests.

'He is unfit for office. Shouldn't this be the end of the road for this weak First Minister?'

He added: 'Let's be clear, the Greens never belonged anywhere near the Scottish Government. Humza Yousaf should have ditched this extreme party on day one of their leadership.'

Mr Ross criticised Mr Yousaf for refusing to say why he had changed his mind about supporting the Bute House Agreement (BHA) during the last 48 hours, amid speculation that he pushed the Greens before their party members voted to jump.

He added: 'There is no defence at all. We said this was a coalition of chaos and it has ended in absolute chaos.

'Humza Yousaf's government is in chaos, it has unravelled. He has abandoned the platform he stood on. He claims it's now a new beginning but really it's the beginning of the end. Isn't Humza Yousaf a lame duck First Minister?'

Labour leader Anas Sarwar attacked Mr Yousaf for his 'weak' leadership and accused him of spending weeks defending his 'discredited government' only to now perform a humiliating U-turn and abandon the Greens.

He told MSPs: 'The First Minister is claiming that this is a sign of strength but for once people agree with Lorna Slater: he is "weak, hopeless and untrustworthy". 

'The challenges facing our country have never been so great, but Scotland's government has never been so poor and its leadership has never been so weak.

'One in seven Scots are stuck on an NHS waiting list as he fails to get a grip of the NHS crisis. Families struggling to make ends meet while this Government wastes public money. And green jobs going elsewhere while he scraps the Government's climate target.

'The people of Scotland can see the SNP have lost their way: weak, divided and incompetent. Putting party before country.'

Referring to the planned vote of no confidence, Mr Sarwar said his party would support anything which states that the parliament does not have confidence in Mr Yousaf's leadership. He added: 'I believe the Scottish people have no confidence in Humza Yousaf and no confidence in this SNP government.

'The people of Scotland didn't vote for him to become First Minister. The people of Scotland didn't vote for this mess and this chaos.

'It's time to end this circus and call an election.'

Speaking at First Minister's Questions yesterday, Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton told the parliament the SNP leader was 'ditching things left right, and centre'.

He added: 'Two clowns have left the clown car but this circus continues. There are no circumstances in which the Liberal Democrat group will offer support in a confidence vote.'

Mr Yousaf insisted he had shown strong leadership by deciding to off-load the unpopular Greens.

He said: 'The Conservatives are nothing if not predictable, and here is an opportunity for opposition to show what they are really made of. 

'Do they want to govern in the national interest, do they want to come together with ideas, do they want to collaborate, or are they going to play, as Douglas Ross has demonstrated, political games? They will be judged very poorly on that.'

Will 'kingmaker' Ash Regan decide his fate?

By Jessica North 

Humza Yousaf once described her as 'no great loss' when she left the party.

But now former SNP leadership candidate Ash Regan could become kingmaker next week as Humza Yousaf faces a vote of no confidence.

After a day that saw the Scottish Greens side with the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour in the backing of a vote of no confidence, the now Alba Party MSP could hold the deciding vote.

There are just 63 SNP MSPs at Holyrood, whilst opposition MSPs total 64, meaning Edinburgh Eastern MSP Regan could tip the vote one way or the other.

Ms Regan has been described as 'powerful' by Alba Party leader Alex Salmond, while JK Rowling said her position was 'karma' for the First Minister. 

However, Mr Yousaf said she was 'no great loss' to his party after she defected to the SNP's independence rivals in October last year.

The pair went head-to-head during the SNP leadership campaign, where she called for more extreme independence tactics and expressed her complete opposition to both transgender ideology and the Greens in government.

Her stance on gender reforms also led her to quit the cabinet during the voting stage in one of the first displays of discontent within the SNP on the trans issue.

Ms Rowling said on social media: 'The idea that Humza Yousaf's political fate may now lie in the hands of Ash Regan, the woman who left the SNP in disgust at its plans for gender self-ID, reminds me...'

She then shared the Tarot card Karma – which is also depicted as Judgment in some decks.

Mr Salmond backed his party colleague, who said she is yet to decide how she will vote in the upcoming test for Mr Yousaf.

Ms Regan said: 'I'll be writing to Humza today, and I'll be asking him about independence, how he's going to defend women's rights, and how he's going to bring competence back to government.

'So it will entirely depend on the reply that I get from him.'

She also said: 'I'm happy to listen to what the SNP have got to say, my door is open and I will support them on an issue-by-issue basis.

'My priorities are completely unchanged: independence, women's rights, child protection, protection of our key industries.'

Speaking on Times Radio, Mr Salmond said of Ms Regan's potential role as kingmaker that she would 'use that power very wisely indeed'.

He said: 'Humza's fate will depend on how he responds,' adding that her vote will make her the 'most powerful MSP in the Scottish parliament'.

Crisis, but guess what they're still obsessing about...

By Michael Blackley

Humza Yousaf has been accused of being 'woefully out of touch' as he spends his first full day in charge of a minority government talking about independence.

The First Minister is due to deliver a speech on the labour market in an independent Scotland, the day after opposition leaders called for a no confidence vote in him.

It comes after ministers launched the latest instalment of the SNP's independence prospectus yesterday, at the same time as the Greens were dumped from government.

But new figures show the cost to the taxpayer of the separation crusade is set to soar beyond £4million. The Scotland in Union campaign group said more than £3.8million has already been spent on independence during the current parliamentary term.

Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, commented: 'This is an astronomical waste of taxpayers' money. With record NHS waiting lists, horrifying levels of child poverty and economic stagnation, the government's spending priorities should not be its constitutional obsession. The SNP is woefully out of touch with Scotland – it's time for the people's priorities.'

Yesterday's paper, on 'justice in an independent Scotland', was the 13th in the 'Building a New Scotland' independence series.

The papers are written and produced by independent civil servants despite concerns that they should not be asked to work on issues around the constitution, which is reserved to Westminster.

The justice system is already devolved to Scotland. But the paper claimed that independence would allow Scotland 'to take its own decisions to address issues such as drugs and gambling'.

Scottish Government figures show that £207,047 has been spent on the 13 independence papers, including design, formating and publication, language translations and printed copies.

Scotland in Union said the total cost of the constitutional futures division, which is responsible for writing the papers, has been £2.97million during the current parliamentary term.

In addition, the Minister for Independence appointed by Mr Yousaf costs an extra £31,854 a year, while his private secretary costs up to £37,936.

The SNP Government's Supreme Court defeat on the power to hold an independence referendum also cost the public purse £251,729.

Mr Yousaf will set out proposals on the labour market in an independent Scotland at a speech at Strathclyde University.

He is expected to argue that an independent Scotland could lead to higher living standards in the country. But powers over the economy and labour market have already been devolved to the Scottish parliament.

The paper on justice yesterday claimed that an independent Scotland would return to the European Arrest Warrant scheme, set out new policies on drug policy reform and gambling, fully incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law, and protect the European Convention on Human Rights.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'Scotland's justice system has a distinguished history and I am proud of the work we have done. The level of recorded crime has fallen to near 50-year lows and homicides are at their lowest levels since comparable records began.

'However, there is more we could do with independence.'