Beleaguered fHumza Yousaf says he does not rule out Scottish election

Humza Yousaf has said he does not rule out a Holyrood election after writing to the leaders of Scotland’s political parties asking them to find “common ground” ahead of a no confidence vote.

He said it would be a “poor choice” for the Scottish Greens to back the no confidence motion, which would mean he was dependent on the former SNP MSP Ash Regan – whose defection to the Alba party he described as “no great loss” – for his political survival.

Yousaf’s decision to end that agreement, to the surprise of supporters and opponents alike, followed growing frustrations within the SNP about a host of electorally unpopular policies championed by the Greens.

The Bute House agreement also created ministerial posts for the Green party co-leaders, Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie.

Yousaf’s decision led Slater to accuse the SNP of “political cowardice”, and has since resulted in the two no-confidence motions: one in the first minister, the other in his government.

“I think that potentially some of the things he said about me when I left to go to a different political party last year probably shows that it’s always wise to have that level of professional courtesy to people that you work with.”