Scotland’s Prime Minister, Humza Yousaf, has stepped down on Monday after opposition parties rejected his minority government. He leaves the post a little over a year after winning the SNP leadership race, succeeding Nicola Sturgeon. The resignation comes amid a government crisis that began when he ended the coalition with the Scottish Greens, a pact forged by Sturgeon in 2021. The demise of the Bute House Agreement stripped the administration of parliamentary backing, placing it in a precarious minority position.
“I clearly underestimated the depth of discontent and disappointment I caused the Greens,” Yousaf said at a press conference. “For a minority government to govern effectively, trust with the opposition is essential.” He confirmed he would step away from both the leadership of the SNP and the premiership once a successor is chosen. “After spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government, and for the country I lead, I have concluded that repairing political divisions can only be done by another person at the helm.”
Damaged relationships
The tensions between the SNP and the Greens had grown in recent weeks, especially after Yousaf’s decision to drop the target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. The move drew a sharp reaction from its partners, who saw the government back away from eight of the last twelve annual climate goals. Beyond climate disputes, the rift also showed itself in the decision to bar hormone treatments for trans people under 18.
The split within the coalition led the Greens to call an internal vote for late May to decide their future in government. Yet Yousaf’s abrupt move to expel them last week ended that possibility and drew loud criticism from Green leaders. “This is political cowardice by the SNP, pandering to the most reactionary forces in the country just to cling to power,” stated Lorna Slater, the Greens’ co-leader and former Economy Minister, last week.
Minority government
The Greens’ expulsion represented a risky maneuver by Yousaf, who automatically lost the backing of seven Green MPs in Parliament and the comfortable majority the government enjoyed until now. Of the 70 seats held last week in a 128-member Parliament, the government now counts on the support of only the SNP’s 63 MPs, just below a majority. Yousaf reached out to his former partners in a bid to secure parliamentary deals, but that option was rejected by Green leaders.
The main opposition parties quickly reacted to the government crisis. The Conservative Party, the main opposition force with 31 seats, tabled a motion of censure against Yousaf soon after he announced the end of the coalition, while Labour submitted a motion against the SNP administration as a whole. Both motions were set for a vote this week and enjoyed broad cross-party backing, including support from the Greens, bringing together 64 potential votes—one more than the SNP’s total MPs.
Failed negotiations
The opposition alliance pressed Yousaf to seek backing from former SNP MP Ash Regan, who left the SNP last October over her opposition to the government’s gender-change policies. Regan now sits with the Alba Party, founded by former First Minister Alex Salmond, and has laid out conditions that the SNP leader was not willing to meet, including a second independence referendum in Scotland without London’s approval. “I will not betray my values or form a pact just to cling to power,” Yousaf said.
With no deal in place with Regan, Yousaf faced the risk of losing both motions this week, a development that culminated in his resignation on Monday. The SNP will now have to choose a new leader who can secure the support that his predecessor failed to obtain. If no agreement is reached, Scotland could face snap elections whose outcomes remain uncertain, with nationalists trailing in polls and Labour closing the gap.