Scotland's Prime Minister Hamza Yousaf insisted today that he will not resign, after jeopardizing his survival in power by deciding to end his coalition agreement with the Scottish Green Party over a conflict over the fight against climate change.
Pressure on Youssaf, leader of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP), has risen sharply since he scrapped an agreement with the much smaller Scottish Green Party yesterday, leaving his government without a majority in parliament and a minority. The Scottish Parliament will next Sunday vote on Youssef's confidence.
"I absolutely intend to fight that confidence vote and I intend to win," Yousaf said in Dundee today.
Following Yusaf's decision to terminate the 2021 agreement with the Scottish Greens, the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party initiated a vote of confidence in Yusaf. The Scottish Greens, angry that he kicked them out of government, immediately announced they would vote against Yousaf, along with other opposition parties, the Conservatives and Scottish Labour.
Yousaf's SNP has 63 of the 129 MPs in the Scottish Parliament, two short of a majority. The Scottish Greens have seven seats, the Scottish Conservatives 31, and Scottish Labor 22 seats.
The defeat of Yousaf in the vote could lead to his resignation and snap parliamentary elections in Scotland, where regular ones are due to be held in 2026.
Yusaf, who came to the head of the SNP and the government in March of last year in place of the long-time leader Nicola Sturgeon, will need the vote of his former MP Ash Regan, who has indicated that she will be looking for something for support. Ash is now a member of parliament for the opposition Alba party, which, like the SNP and the Scottish Greens, advocates Scottish independence.
With the support of Ash Regan, the government would have 64 deputies with it, and in case of a tie, the speaker would decide, who is expected to vote in favor of Yousaf.
Scottish Labour, which is linked to Britain's main opposition Labor Party, said today it supports a vote of no confidence in Youssaf next Sunday, but the opposition's chances of success have been reduced since Alba indicated she would not vote against the government.
If Yousaf lost the vote, cabinet ministers would have to resign immediately, and parliament in Edinburgh would then have 28 days to form a new government. If that was not possible, extraordinary elections would be called.
Relations between the SNP and the Scottish Greens have soured recently, particularly in the last week, as Yousaf dropped a key target in the fight against climate change - a 75 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, claiming it was "beyond what is possible to achieve".
The decision to terminate the agreement with the Greens was made not long after the SNP was shaken by the news that Peter Marel, the husband of former leader Nicola Sturgeon, was accused of embezzlement as part of an investigation into party finances.
The position of the SNP, dominant in Scotland since 2007, could soon be further threatened, as elections for the British Parliament are expected before the end of the year, in which the Labor Party should significantly strengthen and take over power in Great Britain.
Bonus video:
