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Humza Yousaf
First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf (cropped 4).jpg
Official portrait, 2023
First Minister of Scotland
In office
29 March 2023 – 7 May 2024
Monarch Charles III
Deputy Shona Robison
Preceded by Nicola Sturgeon
Succeeded by John Swinney
Leader of the Scottish National Party
In office
27 March 2023 – 6 May 2024
Depute Keith Brown
Preceded by Nicola Sturgeon
Succeeded by John Swinney
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Glasgow Pollok
Assumed office
5 May 2016
Preceded by Johann Lamont
Majority 7,105 (21.0%)
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Glasgow
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
In office
5 May 2011 – 5 May 2016
Personal details
Born
Humza Haroon Yousaf

(1985-04-07) 7 April 1985 (age 39)
Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland
Political party Scottish National Party
Spouses
Gail Lythgoe
(m. 2010; div. 2017)
Nadia El-Nakla
(m. 2019)
Children 2
Education Hutchesons' Grammar School
Alma mater University of Glasgow
Signature

Humza Haroon Yousaf ( born 7 April 1985) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from March 2023 to May 2024. He served under his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as justice secretary from 2018 to 2021 and then as health secretary from 2021 to 2023. He has been Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Pollok since 2016, having previously been a regional MSP for Glasgow from 2011 to 2016.

Yousaf was appointed first minister on 29 March 2023, becoming the youngest person, the first Scottish Asian, and the first Muslim to serve in office. He was sworn into the Privy Council in May 2023.

In April 2024, he formed a minority government after terminating a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens. After facing an imminent motion of no confidence amid a government crisis, he announced his intention to resign as first minister and party leader on 29 April 2024. He formally resigned on 7 May 2024 and was succeeded by John Swinney, becoming the second shortest serving first minister after Henry McLeish.

Early life and education

Humza Haroon Yousaf was born in Rutherglen Maternity Hospital in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire on 7 April 1985. He is son of first-generation Pakistani Punjabi Muslim immigrants: his father Mian Muzaffar Yousaf Arain was born in Mian Channu, Punjab, Pakistan, and emigrated from the city with his family in the 1960s, eventually working as an accountant. His paternal grandfather worked in the Singer sewing machine factory in Clydebank in the 1960s. Yousaf's mother, Shaaista Bhutta, was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to a family of Pakistani-Punjabi descent. Due to their non-African background, her family was regularly harassed and occasionally assaulted: following an incident where her mother was attacked with an axe, they emigrated to Scotland.

Humza attended Mearns Primary School in East Renfrewshire. Yousaf was one of two ethnic-minority pupils to attend his primary school. Yousaf was privately educated at Hutchesons' Grammar School, an independent school in Glasgow, where his Modern Studies lessons inspired him to become involved in politics.

He described the September 11 attacks as the "day that changed the world and for me" when he was 16 years old. Prior to the attack, Yousaf was close to two pupils whom he sat next to in his registration class, but after the attack in New York, he claims that they asked him questions such as, "Why do Muslims hate America?"

Yousaf studied politics at the University of Glasgow where he was President of the Glasgow University Muslim Students Association. He graduated in 2007 with a Master of Arts (MA).

Early career and political involvement

From an early age, Yousaf was involved in community work, ranging from youth organisations to charity fundraising. He was the volunteer media spokesperson for the charity Islamic Relief, worked for community radio for twelve years and on a project which provided food packages to homeless people and asylum seekers in Glasgow.

Yousaf joined the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2005, while studying at Glasgow university. Speeches by then-party leader Alex Salmond and anti-war activist Rose Gentle speaking out against the Iraq War convinced him that independence would be the only way for Scotland to avoid going to war. He started campaigning extensively for the SNP, including for the 2007 Scottish parliament election, which resulted in the first SNP government in Scotland and Yousaf's first job in the Scottish parliament.

In 2006, Yousaf worked in an O2 call centre, before working as a parliamentary assistant for Bashir Ahmad, from Ahmad's election as Scotland's first Muslim MSP in 2007 until Ahmad's death two years later. Ahmad was a personal influence. Yousaf then worked as parliamentary assistant for a few other MSPs including Anne McLaughlin, Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond, who was then First Minister. Before his election to the Scottish Parliament, he worked in the SNP's headquarters as a communications officer.

In 2008, whilst working as an aide, Yousaf partook of the International Visitor Leadership Program, a professional exchange run by the United States Department of State. He was awarded the “Future Force of Politics” at the Young Scottish Minority Ethnic Awards in 2009, which was presented to him in Glasgow City Chambers.

Early parliamentary career

Election to Holyrood

HumzaYousafMSP20110507
Official parliamentary portrait, 2011

Yousaf was elected to the Scottish Parliament as an additional member for the Glasgow electoral region in the 2011 election. At 26 years old, he was the youngest MSP to be elected to the 4th parliament. When being sworn in, he took his oath in English and then in Urdu, reflecting his Scottish-Pakistani identity; he was dressed in a traditional sherwani decorated with a Partick Thistle tartan touch, and a plaid draped over his shoulder.

He served on the SNP's backbenches and was a member of the parliament's justice and public audit committees. On 25 May 2011, Yousaf was appointed as a Parliamentary Liaison Officer to the Office of the First Minister, remaining in this post until 4 September 2012.

Junior ministerial career (2012–2018)

On 5 September 2012, First Minister Alex Salmond appointed Yousaf as Minister for External Affairs and International Development, responsible for external affairs, international development; fair trade policy and diaspora. This junior ministerial appointment saw him working under the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs. He was the first Scottish Asian and Muslim to be appointed as a minister to the Scottish Government.

Humza Yousaf signing First Minister nomination form (15866448952)
Yousaf signs Nicola Sturgeon's nomination for first minister, 19 November 2014

In October 2013, he outlined the SNP's plans to set out the United Nations target for overseas aid at 0.7% in an independent Scotland and accused the UK Government of going back on its promise in the 2010 coalition agreement to guarantee that level of spending. Yousaf also outlined that an independent Scotland would "add a progressive voice to global issues promoting peace, equality and fairness" and added independence would be "achieved through a democratic, peaceful means without a single drop of blood being spilled and engaging with all the diverse communities that make up our rich tapestry in Scotland.".

When Nicola Sturgeon became First Minister in November 2014 following Salmond's resignation, she kept Yousaf as a junior minister, although the name of the position he held was changed to the Minister for Europe and International Development.

On 18 May 2016, he was appointed as Minister for Transport and the Islands following the formation of Sturgeon's second government.

Cabinet Secretary for Justice (2018–2021)

On 26 June 2018, Sturgeon reshuffled her cabinet. She promoted Yousaf to the Scottish Cabinet to serve as Cabinet Secretary for Justice, succeeding Michael Matheson. In the year prior to his appointment (2017–18), 244,504 crimes were recorded by the police in Scotland; in the final year of his tenure (2020–21), the figure was 246,511.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care (2021–2023)

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf at the COP26 Climate Action for Health event (51666872979)
Yousaf at the COP26 Climate Action for Health event, 2021

In the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Yousaf was re-elected as the MSP for the Glasgow Pollok constituency. The SNP fell two seats short of an overall majority in the election, but remained the largest party, with more than double the seats of the Scottish Conservatives. Sturgeon formed a third administration and appointed Yousaf as the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, succeeding Jeane Freeman, who stepped down at the election.

COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 press conference - 24 April 2020 (49813911027)
Yousaf at Scottish Government press conference on COVID-19 in 2020.

Yousaf entered office amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, he said that ten children up to the age of nine had been admitted to Scottish hospitals in the previous week "because of COVID". Professor Steve Turner, Scotland officer for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, contradicted him and said that children’s wards were “not seeing a rise in cases with Covid”. He added that the children in question had been hospitalised for other reasons. Yousaf clarified his statement and apologised for "any undue alarm".

In July, the World Health Organisation concluded that six out of Europe's ten virus hotspots were in Scotland. Tayside topped the list with 1,002 cases per 100,000 head of population over the previous fortnight. The Scottish Government was accused of being ‘missing in action’ after it emerged that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister John Swinney and Yousaf were all on holiday. Yousaf said he had promised to take his stepdaughter to Harry Potter World, tweeting that: "Most important job I have is being a good father, step-father & husband to my wife and kids. In the last seven months they’ve had virtually no time from me."

NHS waiting times

In September 2021, the average waiting time for an ambulance in Scotland soared to six hours and Yousaf urged the public to "think twice" before they called 999. Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane criticised the remark as “reckless messaging [that] could put lives at risk” and instead urged people to call an ambulance if they thought they needed one. Following reports of elderly Scots dying whilst waiting for an ambulance to arrive, Yousaf asked the Ministry of Defence for help and soldiers from the British Army were deployed to drive ambulances. Audit Scotland concluded that 500 people died in Scotland in 2021 due to delayed access to emergency treatment.

2023 SNP leadership election

Humzayousaf2023snpleadershiplogo
Leadership campaign logo

On 15 February 2023, Nicola Sturgeon resigned as Leader of the Scottish National Party and First Minister of Scotland, which triggered a leadership election within the SNP to elect her successor. On 18 February, Yousaf declared his candidacy for leader in an interview with the Sunday Mail. He committed to challenging the UK Government over its decision to block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill and stated he wanted to increase support for Scottish independence before delivering a referendum.

Yousaf launched his leadership campaign in Clydebank on 20 February. He said he was not "wedded" with using the next UK general election as a de facto referendum on Scottish independence and that one of the issues would be the inability for 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds to vote. Yousaf reaffirmed his commitment to defend the Scottish Parliament against the UK Government's Section 35 order, which aims to block the gender reform bill. He added that he could not pretend the bill had not "caused some division" within his party and stated he was "keen to work with those who have got real concerns".

During the campaign, Yousaf faced questions on why he missed the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014. He said at the time that he was meeting the Pakistani consul to discuss the case of a Scotsman facing the death penalty for blasphemy. Yousaf stated his support for the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, while his opponents Kate Forbes and Ash Regan opposed it.

As confirmed on 27 March 2023, Yousaf had won the leadership race, after being victorious in both rounds of voting. He won the first round with 48.2% of first-preference votes, ahead of Forbes who received 40.7%, and Regan who received 11.1%, thus eliminating Regan due to finishing last. He then also won the final round of voting with 52.1% of the vote compared to Forbes in second place with 47.9%. Yousaf accepted the leadership at an event at Murrayfield Stadium where he promised to lead the party in the interest of all its members.

First Minister of Scotland (2023–2024)

Humza Yousaf being sworn in at the Court of Session
Yousaf is formally sworn in as First Minister, at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, March 2023

Yousaf was sworn in as first minister of Scotland on 29 March 2023, becoming the youngest person and the first Scottish Asian and Muslim to hold the office since it was created in 1999. In September 2023, the New Statesman named him the thirteenth-most powerful left-wing figure in the UK. In October 2023, The New York Times called him a "trailblazer shaping our time". Upon his first year in office, Anas Sarwar, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, gave his assessment of Yousaf, stating: "He's a nice guy, he's just not up to the job." Douglas Ross, Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, described Yousaf's first year as being "nothing short of a disaster for him, his party and - most importantly - the people of Scotland."

Domestic policy

YYousaf worked to challenge the UK Government's section 35 order of the Gender Recognition Reform Bill. During his first meeting with the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, Yousaf requested a section 30 order to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence. Sunak has rejected the request.

Building a New Scotland - Creating a modern constitution for an independent Scotland
Yousaf launches the fourth Building a New Scotland paper

In June 2023, Yousaf launched the fourth Building a New Scotland paper which focused on the constitution of an independent Scotland. Yousaf declared that there would be a written constitution for an independent Scotland, claiming that such a constitution would set a benchmark in which no future Scottish Government could fall short of as it would be a constitution enshrined into Scots law. Yousaf declared that the government had placed a commitment to a constitution that gave the population "the right to access a system of healthcare free at the point of need, as well as rules on land ownership and environmental provisions". The previous three papers in the series were published by Yousaf's predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon.

Opposition parties in Scotland criticised Yousaf and the Scottish Government for "focusing on the wrong priorities". A spokesman for the UK Government said "We want to work constructively with the Scottish government to tackle our shared challenges because that is what families and businesses in Scotland expect" and that "this is not the time to be talking about distracting constitutional change".

On 27 July 2023, Yousaf launched the fifth paper in the Building a New Scotland series entitled Citizenship in an independent Scotland. The prospectus set out the Scottish Government's proposals for citizenship and passports in an independent Scotland, with the Scottish Government seeking to pursue an "inclusive" model similar to that in the Republic of Ireland. People born outside Scotland would automatically be entitled to Scottish citizenship under the plans if at least one of their parents were Scottish, and Scottish people resident in Scotland at the time of independence would be entitled to hold dual Scottish and British citizenship should it be desired. The paper commits an independent Scotland to remaining a member of the Common Travel Area, meaning that there would be no hard border between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom on land or at sea. Scottish citizens would have the right to a Scottish passport on the day of independence, however, British passports held by Scots after independence would remain valid until their date of expiry.

Economic policy

1st Minister meets with International Monetary Fund’s First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath
Yousaf meets with the International Monetary Fund's Gita Gopinath, June 2023

Yousaf entered office amid the ongoing cost of living crisis. He supports the introduction of the deposit return scheme, but not in its current form, suggesting it should exclude small businesses. He has emphasised the need for a wellbeing economy and has proposed introducing a new wealth tax in order to raise money for more welfare benefits.

Education policy

Next chapter for Reading Schools
Yousaf with a group of primary school children at the launch of the Reading Schools initiative, August 2023

Yousaf was challenged to review the long running Scottish Government policy of free university tuition, with University of Edinburgh vice-chancellor Peter Mathieson saying that allowing wealthier families to pay was "worthy of calm consideration". Yousaf disputed calls for a review of the policy, saying that he was "very proud" of the SNP's long opposition to any fees for education in Scotland. He highlighted his support and commitment to the continuation of free tuition in Scotland by saying he was "absolutely committed to ensuring we have free education" and that "university education should be on the ability to learn not the ability to pay".

Yousaf was largely criticised for saying he would stop the roll out of free school meals in Scotland in favour of a more targeted approach. Yousaf was urged to reconsider this decision, with opponents arguing that the stop of the roll out would by a "betrayal" of children in Scotland. Yousaf used his own daughter as an example, and argued as to whether his daughter should be entitled to free school meals considering Yousaf's high salary as First Minister of Scotland. Opponents in the Scottish Parliament accused Yousaf of "flip flopping" over free school meals policy. After mounting pressure on the backdrop of his statement, Yousaf pledged his support and commitment to free school meals and reaffirmed that the policy of free school meals in Scotland would not be ending and confirmed the Scottish Government's plans to introduce free school meals entitlement in secondary school, however, Yousaf did not provide a timescale for this delivery.

In August 2023, Yousaf launched the Reading Schools project, a replacement initiative of the First Minister's Reading Challenge which was established under Yousaf's predecessor Nicola Sturgeon. 371 schools across Scotland have become accredited as "reading schools", with the hope of an additional 511 schools looking to have joined the project in the future. This is "an accreditation programme for schools that are committing to building a reading culture for their learners and communities". Yousaf has claimed that it is the intention of the Scottish Government to "see every school in Scotland become part of the scheme in the next three to five years" to promote and improve reading in Scottish schools.

Programme for government

In September 2023, Yousaf launched his first Programme for Government. The programme for government focuses on reducing poverty, delivering economic growth, tackle climate change and provide high quality public services.

Resignation

After Yousaf terminated the Bute House Agreement between the SNP and Scottish Greens, he faced imminent votes of no confidence in himself and his government. Yousaf announced his intention to resign as SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland on 29 April 2024. John Swinney was elected unopposed as his successor and Yousaf formally resigned on 7 May.

Personal life

Humza Yousaf's family at the Court of Session
Yousaf's family at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, 2023 (From left to right; his step-daughter, himself, his wife, Nadia, and mother Shaaista)

Yousaf was married to former SNP worker Gail Lythgoe from 2010 to 2016. In 2019, he married psychotherapist Nadia El-Nakla and has one child and one stepchild. In March 2024, the couple announced that they were expecting another child. On 17 July 2024, Yousaf announced the birth of his daughter, Liyana Jenin Yousaf.

Honours

Images for kids

See also

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