Former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has publicly disclosed that he chose to step down from his leadership role primarily because his personal polling numbers were alarmingly low. He expressed a specific fear that 'the men in grey kilts' would inevitably come knocking at his door to demand his resignation if he remained in position.
The Critical Decision and Internal Polling Data
Mr Yousaf made his resignation announcement in April 2024, merely days after he decisively terminated the Bute House Agreement, which was the SNP's longstanding power-sharing arrangement with the Scottish Greens. Reflecting on that period, Yousaf revealed that internal party polling was conducted immediately following the collapse of the Green deal. The data indicated that a majority of the Scottish public actually supported his decision to end the partnership with the Greens. However, when he inquired about his own personal approval ratings, the pollsters delivered a blunt and disappointing assessment, telling him 'Well, it's not great.'
The Temptation of an Alba Party Deal and Avoiding Fractures
Faced with this precarious political situation, Humza Yousaf admitted he seriously contemplated forming a new parliamentary agreement with Alex Salmond's Alba Party. Such a deal would have provided just enough numerical support in Holyrood to technically secure his position as First Minister. In a candid recollection, Yousaf stated he told his wife, Nadia, 'I've got to do the right thing.' He ultimately concluded that pursuing an alliance with Alba and Alex Salmond would have caused even more severe fractures and internal difficulty within the Scottish National Party. Yousaf emphasized he was not prepared to put the party through that additional turmoil, prioritizing party unity over his own political survival.
Post-Resignation Electoral Fallout and Memoir Plans
The SNP subsequently experienced a dramatic electoral collapse during the general election in July 2024, losing the majority of its Westminster seats just two months after John Swinney succeeded Yousaf as First Minister. Yousaf speculated that, had he still been in office during that election, the proverbial 'men in the grey kilts' would have certainly visited him to insist on his departure, and he likely would have reached the same conclusion to stand down voluntarily.
Now, as the MSP for Glasgow Pollok prepares to leave Holyrood at the upcoming May election, he has stated he has no immediate plans to return to frontline politics but refuses to completely rule out a future return. Following in the footsteps of his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf is launching a personal memoir titled Under Fire, scheduled for publication in October. The book primarily focuses on the intensely stressful four-week period in 2023 when his in-laws were trapped in Gaza during the conflict. Yousaf describes the memoir as an account of how he attempted to support his wife and children, orchestrate the extraction of his in-laws from a genocide, and simultaneously manage the responsibilities of running a country.
