SCOTTISH health minister Humza Yousaf has emerged as a frontrunner to replace Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and first minister.
The new leader is set to be announced on March 27, 2023. Believed to be Sturgeon’s favoured successor, he disclosed in his speech to announce his candidacy that he was one of the few people she had spoken to in advance about her plan to resign.
Yousaf is expected to go up against Scottish finance secretary Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, the former community safety minister, in the SNP’s first full leadership battle since 2004.
He said having held some of the “toughest” jobs in parliament meant he was best placed to lead and unite warring factions in the SNP.
Yousaf, 37, said he had a plan for achieving another independence referendum for Scotland, but added he “was not wedded” to the idea of using the next general election as a “de-facto” referendum on Scottish independence.
Yousaf was first elected to the Scottish parliament in 2011 and a year later, he was appointed minister for external affairs and international development at the age of 27. It made him the first non-white and first Muslim member of the Scottish government, and also the youngest minister ever appointed to the government.
Becoming a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Pollok in 2016, Yousaf has been serving as the secretary for Health and Social Care since May 2021. He is responsible for delivering healthcare services of the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland.
Born on April 7, 1985, in Glasgow, Yousaf is the son of Muzaffar, an accountant who emigrated from Pakistan to Glasgow in the 1960s, and Shaaista Bhutta, born in Kenya to a family of South Asian descent who also later moved to Scotland. During his swearing-in ceremony, Yousaf took his oath in English and Urdu, reflecting his Scottish-Pakistani identity.
Yousaf graduated with an MA in politics from the University of Glasgow. He was educated at Hutchesons' Grammar School, an independent school in Glasgow. Before becoming an elected official, he worked as a parliamentary assistant for prominent MSPs, including former SNP leaders Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.
Yousaf has vowed to challenge the UK government’s block on the gender legislation bill. “Regardless of whether you agree with the Gender Recognition Reform (GRR) bill or not, this over-reach by the UK government is something that we need to defend against”, he said.
Yousaf said he did not use his Muslim faith “as a basis of legislation” and though he was absent for the final vote on the same-sex marriage in 2014 he had supported it at earlier stages.
“I’m a minority in this country, I have been my entire life and my rights don’t exist in some kind of vacuum,” he said.
“My rights are interdependent on other people’s rights and, therefore, I believe very firmly, in fact with every fibre in my being, that your equality is my equality.”
In his personal life, Yousaf is an avid fan of Celtic Football Club and enjoys playing and watching football. He also enjoys spending time with his family, travelling and riding motorcycles.
