Humza Yousaf is considering resigning as Scotland’s first minister as early as today, UAE Breaking News understands.
A senior source has said the embattled SNP leader could “call it quits” today ahead of a key vote of no confidence later this week.
Mr Yousaf is facing two no confidence votes at Holyrood in the coming days after the collapse of his power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens on Thursday.
The 39-year-old, who now runs a minority administration in Edinburgh, sacked the Greens on Thursday and they have joined the opposition in confirming they will vote to oust him.
Talks had been planned with the Alba party, which is led by now-bitter rival Alex Salmond. Its only MSP, Ash Regan – who defected from the SNP last October – was set to cast the deciding vote and determine Mr Yousaf’s future.
The pair had been due to meet this week, with Ms Regan bringing a set of demands as her price of agreement.
But, some senior figures within the SNP had said publicly and privately that would be an electoral disaster and seriously harm the nationalist cause.
One MP said he would be as thirsty as “a glass of cold”.
Mr Yousaf is facing a vote of no confidence in his own leadership in Scotland, and a separate motion of no confidence has also been tabled against the Scottish Government as a whole.
UAE Breaking News understands that Mr Yousaf may step down before Monday’s vote. However, a final decision has not yet been made.
His opinion appears to have changed since he insisted during a walk in Fife on Saturday that he had no intention of resigning.
Sources told UAE Breaking News on Monday morning that the first minister said it meant a “deal with the devil” with Mr Salmond pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Alba Westminster leader Neil Hanvey told UAE Breaking he believed Mr Yousaf’s “actions were forced from within the SNP”.
“It appears that internal SNP politics has made it impossible for him to continue as prime minister,” he said.
“I don’t think he would have even considered resigning if he had the support of the group, and if you read between the lines, I don’t think he can rely on that now. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t there.” He should seriously consider resigning.
At Westminster, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride told UAE Breaking News: “It seems like this is an extraordinary mess that the SNP has brought about by getting him involved so they can feel beholden to Alba.” To.”
“Looking at the SNP’s record, I am concerned that their obsession with independence has led to very negative outcomes in health, education and a range of other areas.”
Senior Labor MP Ellie Reeves told UAE Breaking News: In Scotland, an election is supposed to be held amidst “SNP turmoil”.
The SNP has a power-sharing agreement with the Green Party from 2021, giving the SNP a majority in Holyrood, as Nicola Sturgeon’s Green Party would have had to operate as a minority government without the Greens at the time. was.
However, tensions between the two parties have increased and the government has decided to abandon its main target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030, admitting it is no longer achievable. That ended it.
Previous tensions over the decision to suspend the prescribing of new puberty-blocking drugs to under-18s at Scotland’s only gender clinic have led the Green Party to announce it will vote on the future of the power-sharing agreement.