Scotland Pakistani-origin head of government Hamza Yusuf could be forced to resign as prime minister next week after former allies say they will face a no-confidence vote against him.
The development came hours after the collapse of the governing coalition when the Scottish National Party (SNP) ended its deal with the ruling Scottish Greens (SG).
Tensions between the two parties reached an irreversible point when ministers ruled out meeting a key climate change target and banning the use of fertility drugs.
Hamza Yusuf’s fate now rests with former SNP MP Ash Regan, whom he defeated in a leadership contest last year.
Ash Regan later joined Alex Salmond’s centre-right nationalist party Alba. Hamza Yusuf said then that his departure was ‘no big loss’.
The results of this vote are not binding, meaning the decision will depend on the First Minister’s response to losing the confidence of the Scottish Parliament.
However, they will be expected to face severe pressures that may make their position untenable.
The Scottish Conservatives have moved for a no-confidence vote, criticizing Hamza, saying the party was a ‘coalition in chaos’ that has now ‘ended in chaos’.
Hamza Yusuf told a press conference that he intended to govern as a minority government, which he admitted would be ‘difficult’ but also said that the SNP had It has been like this for most of the time in power.
Hamza pledged to continue working with all members of the Scottish Parliament, saying he had shown a ‘willingness to work’ despite political divisions as a minister over the years.
He was asked about the statement two days ago whether he valued the ‘Beauthouse’ deal and hoped it would continue.
The deal, which was signed in 2021 and is named after the First Minister’s official residence in Edinburgh, will see the Scottish Greens for the first time Great Britain I was empowered to rule anywhere.
Hamza Yusuf said: ‘I stand by what I have said. I absolutely value the Beauthouse deal and what it has achieved.
‘It shows that I have the ability to demonstrate leadership.’ He said that the Bute House agreement had reached a ‘natural conclusion’.
The deal gave the SNP a majority in Holyrood (Scotland) when the votes of its MPs were combined with the votes of seven Greens members, and it gave Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvey and Lorna Slater junior seats in the Scottish government. Minister nominated.
In this Oct. 17, 2023 photo, Scotland’s First Minister Hamza Yousaf speaks at the annual conference of the Scottish National Party (AFP).
Without a deal, the SNP would have to operate as a minority administration in Scotland, where it holds 63 of the 129 seats in Parliament. Scottish on the other hand The Tories have 31, Labor has 22 seats, the Scottish Greens seven and the Liberal Democrats four.
The termination of the deal comes as the SNP is already in trouble after former chief executive Peter Morrell, husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, was accused of embezzling SNP funds. is
Police Scotland confirmed this month that Peter Morrell, who served as the party’s chief executive for 22 years, had been arrested and charged with embezzlement.
Nicola Sturgeon was also arrested in April last year, two months after her husband’s first arrest, while former party treasurer Colin Beattie was also arrested last year.
Both were released without charge, but the case is pending further investigation.
Senior SNP figures, including former leadership candidate Kate Forbes and key party leader Fergus Ewing, had already called for the deal to be scrapped before the coalition collapsed.
This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).
The Scottish Greens said last week it would hold a vote on the future of the Beauthouse deal. Miss Slater accused the SNP of ‘selling out future generations’ as she pulled out of the Beauthouses deal.
Confirming the end of the deal, he said: ‘This is a display of political cowardice by the SNP, who are selling out future generations to appease the country’s most reactionary forces.
‘He has broken the bond of trust with members of both parties who have chosen to abandon the Co-operation Agreement and climate action twice over the chaos of culture wars and division. They have betrayed their voters.’
He called on SNP members who support the environment, trans rights and independence to join the Scottish Greens.
Scottish Tory chairman Craig Hoy said scrapping the Beauthouse deal showed how ‘incompetent’ Hamza Youssef was.
Craig Hoy said: ‘The end of this toxic alliance is a complete disservice to Hamza Yusuf, who called him ‘as valuable as gold’ and continued to support him to the end.’
#Hamza #Yusufs #government #Scotland #danger
2024-08-14 05:58:01