Iain Macwhirter Iain Macwhirter

Is Humza Yousaf destined for Liz Truss’s fate?

(Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

We knew that Humza Yousaf wasn’t the sharpest tool in the ministerial box but no one expected him to mess up quite so spectacularly on his first day.  It only took the new First Minister a couple of hours to undermine his own authority and provoke a potentially ruinous split in the Scottish National Party. Way to go, Humza! 

Forcing his rival Kate Forbes out of his cabinet by making her an offer she couldn’t accept – demotion to rural affairs – Yousaf has deepened the divisions that emerged during the leadership campaign. He has also exposed as false his claim to be a unifier; has lost the most capable minister in the Scottish government; and has made himself look petty and vindictive. Oh, and he’s probably ensured that Kate Forbes will be his successor in the not too distant future.

Yousaf has also exposed as false his claim to be a unifier; has lost the most capable minister in the Scottish government; and has made himself look petty and vindictive.

Written by
Iain Macwhirter

Iain Macwhirter is a former BBC TV presenter and was political commentator for The Herald between 1999 and 2022. He is an author of Road to Referendum and Disunited Kingdom: How Westminster Won a Referendum but Lost Scotland.

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