Scotland should prepare for life after Humza Yousaf

All political careers end in failure but Humza Yousaf has managed to begin his there. Three weeks ago, he clinched the leadership of the SNP in a 52-48 per cent photo finish. Since then, he has deepened divisions within his party by shunning MSPs who failed to support his leadership bid, launched a legal challenge to Westminster to restart his government’s unpopular gender reforms, and watched as police raided Nicola Sturgeon’s home and arrested Peter Murrell, her husband and the SNP’s former chief executive, amid a probe of party finances.  

Tuesday was supposed to mark a ‘reset’, because Yousaf’s leadership is in such dire straits that, less than a month in, it already needs resetting. The vehicle for moving forward was supposed to be his inaugural programme for government, which performs a similar function to the King’s Speech. However, the First Minister’s streak of rotten luck continued as Colin Beattie, the treasurer of the SNP, was arrested by Police Scotland in advance of the speech.