The highs and lows of Humza Yousaf's first year in Bute House
Mr Yousaf has celebrated the highs of his promised council tax freeze and weathered the lows of his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon being arrested.
Friday 29 March 2024 01:45, UK
It has been a rollercoaster 12 months for Humza Yousaf as he marks one year as Scotland's first minister.
Mr Yousaf has celebrated the highs of his promised council tax freeze and weathered the lows of his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon being arrested.
Mr Yousaf was sworn into office on 29 March 2023 after a bruising contest to succeed Ms Sturgeon, who surprised the country with her shock resignation as first minister and SNP leader.
He became Scotland's youngest ever first minister, and the first from an ethnic minority background to hold the post.
Now a year on, Mr Yousaf says the role continues to be the "greatest honour" of his life but accepts that "there's still a lot more to do to deliver for the people of Scotland".
Mr Yousaf said: "I am honoured every day to lead a government driven by clear values, and I am absolutely committed to continuing to make Scotland a better place to live, work and study for everyone who makes it their home."
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Yousaf said going forward he will continue to campaign for Scottish independence and will seek a Section 30 Order to hold a second referendum if Sir Keir Starmer is elected prime minister at the next general election.
He said, "notwithstanding" the challenges his party has faced over the past year, support for independence is "rock solid".
Mr Yousaf added: "What we've got to continue to do as a government is demonstrate progress in how we're delivering for the priorities of the people."
The first minister said he would continue to showcase how much progress Holyrood can make under devolution, adding: "Then, of course, we can make the argument and should be making the argument that imagine what we could do with the full powers of a normal independent country."
The first minister's highs:
• Highlighting some of his government's accomplishments, Mr Yousaf said Holyrood would continue to focus on reducing child poverty. He claimed the Scottish government's policies will keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty and 70,000 out of absolute poverty in 2024-25, according to recently published analysis
• He said the national council tax freeze would protect households amid the cost of living crisis.
• The first minister said a record £19.5bn has been invested into Scotland's NHS - without losing a single day to pay-related strike action.
• He added that a record number of junior doctors are joining the country's NHS.
• Mr Yousaf stated that Scotland led every other nation and region last month for private sector employment growth.
• The first minister noted that record numbers of school leavers are going on to a "positive destination". This includes a record high number of young Scots from deprived areas applying to study at university.
• He stated that Scotland's GDP per head has grown at a faster rate than the UK average.
• Mr Yousaf also said his government has pledged up to £500m to support the offshore wind industry to help create thousands of green jobs.
• And also worth celebrating, the first minister is expecting a child this July with wife Nadia El-Nakla. The couple already have two children - their daughter Amal is four and Mr Yousaf is stepfather to 14-year-old Maya - and are now set to become the first family to welcome a baby while in Bute House.
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Tap hereThe first minister's lows:
• It was a hard year for the SNP as former leader Nicola Sturgeon, ex-chief executive Peter Murrell and former treasurer Colin Beattie were each arrested and released without charge amid a police probe into the party's funding and finances. Police erected a blue forensics tent outside Ms Sturgeon and husband Mr Murrell's home during a search.
• Mr Yousaf's in-laws became trapped in Gaza following the breakout of the Israel-Hamas war in October. Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla eventually made it back home to Dundee one month later, with Ms El-Nakla telling Sky News her life had "changed forever".
• Scottish Labour trounced the SNP in the battle for former MP Margaret Ferrier's Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat. Ms Ferrier, who had the SNP whip removed for breaching COVID rules during lockdown, was ousted from Westminster following a successful recall petition. Michael Shanks defeated Katy Loudon by 17,845 votes to 8,399 - a majority of 9,446 and a 20.36% swing from SNP to Scottish Labour.
• The Scottish government's bottle deposit return scheme was delayed until at least October 2025 after Westminster rejected an application for an exemption to the Internal Market Act - effectively blocking glass from the scheme. Circularity Scotland, the company tasked with overseeing the scheme, later folded with £86m in debts. Veteran SNP MSP Fergus Ewing was suspended from the party's Holyrood group for voting against government minister and Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater in a confidence vote. Ms Slater, who was criticised over her handling of the scheme, survived the vote.
• It was a year of jumping ship with ex-SNP leadership rival Ash Regan MSP leaving for the Alba Party and Dr Lisa Cameron MP defecting to the Tories. Angus MacNeil MP was expelled from the SNP following a row with the party's chief whip at Westminster. Mr MacNeil refused to rejoin the group at the end of a suspension and was subsequently given the boot. The MP has vowed to stand as an independent candidate at the next general election.
• In December, the Scottish government announced it would take no further legal action against Westminster's veto of its controversial gender reform bill. It came after Scotland's highest civil court ruled that the UK government acted lawfully in blocking the bill from receiving royal assent. Westminster is now seeking reimbursement for the legal costs it incurred defending its decision.
• Michael Matheson was forced to quit as health secretary last month amid a probe into an £11,000 iPad data roaming bill. Mr Matheson initially billed the taxpayer after claiming he ran up the eye-watering invoice undertaking constituency work during a family holiday in Morocco. After the story hit the headlines, it then emerged his teenage sons had used the iPad as a hotspot to watch football while abroad. The Falkirk West MSP was found to have breached Holyrood's code of conduct but has ignored calls to resign. Mr Yousaf has continually defended Mr Matheson, saying that "decent people can make mistakes".
Read more from Sky News:
Humza Yousaf: His life, political path and controversies
Does the hunger for independence remain in Scotland's 'Yes' towns and cities?
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Reflecting on Mr Yousaf's first year in charge, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said it's been "nothing short of a disaster".
Mr Ross said: "It's a tale of independence obsession, abject failures and broken promises; of a first minister out of his depth and unable to control his feuding, scandal-ridden party.
"Humza Yousaf has ignored the real priorities of Scots - fixing our ailing public services and growing the economy - and instead doubled down on the SNP's fixation with breaking up the UK, while cosying up to the anti-growth Greens.
"Later this year voters will get the chance to cast their verdict on his and the SNP's dire reign."
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar described Mr Yousaf as a "weak leader who is out of his depth".
Mr Sarwar added: "Not only is it clear to the people of Scotland that Humza Yousaf has no vision for the future - even his own former cabinet colleagues are saying so in public.
"This is a record of shame and failure.
"With Humza Yousaf scrambling for a new election strategy on a weekly basis, it is no surprise that the people of Scotland are now looking for change."