Humza Yousaf would be Sturgeon’s continuity candidate

The Daily Record has reported that Humza Yousaf, currently the Scottish health secretary, will stand for election to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland. The 37-year-old Sturgeon ally is said to believe he can unite the party and a source tells the paper he has ‘a lot of support from MPs and MSPs’. 

Yousaf’s views on the constitution and gender identity are indistinguishable from Sturgeon’s and he can expect to be considered a continuity candidate. He is also a seasoned media performer, though no stranger to the occasional on-camera mishap. The Record says he will stress his ‘experience’ but that could go either way. His tenure as health secretary has not been a happy one, with him overseeing the worst A&E waiting times on record. 

His previous role as justice secretary was similarly contentious, not least for his Hate Crime Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that includes seven-year prison sentences for ‘hate crimes’ committed in the privacy of one’s own home.