Humza Yousaf, close to former Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, said during his victory speech that “the people” of Scotland “need independence now, more than ever”.
Scottish separatists on Monday chose Humza Yousaf to succeed Nicola Sturgeon and become the new Prime Minister, with the promise of leading Scotland to independence this generation.
Aged 37, Humza Yousaf, close to Nicola Sturgeon, inherits the delicate mission of succeeding the one who carried the separatist cause for eight years with charisma and determination, before throwing in the towel in February, explaining that he no longer had the energy needed. He will thus have to relaunch a movement that is losing momentum, which is coming up against London’s obstinate refusal to authorize the holding of a new referendum on self-determination.
Until then Minister of Health, this grandson of Pakistani immigrants was elected in an internal ballot by members of the majority Scottish National Party (SNP) and must be formally elected Prime Minister on Tuesday by the local Parliament in Edinburgh . He becomes the first Muslim to lead a major political party in the UK and one of the country’s constituent nations, which was hailed as a “significant” event by the British Council of Britain.
“We will be the generation that will achieve independence for Scotland”, launched Humza Yousaf after his victory, stressing that “the people” of Scotland “need independence now, more than ever”.
Downing Street says there are ‘bigger’ issues for Scots
In London, Downing Street however countered that the Scots wanted officials “who focus on the issues most important to them: reducing inflation, dealing with the cost of living crisis and reducing waiting lists” in the health system.
Opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer praised Humza Yousaf but said only his party, Labor, could “bring the change Scotland needs”.
Within the SNP, Humza Yousaf won against Finance Minister Kate Forbes, with controversial conservative positions, and Ash Regan, a former member of local government, obtaining 52% of the vote in the second round. A time favourite, Kate Forbes had a rocky start to the campaign due to her conservative views. She is a member of the Free Church of Scotland, which opposes same-sex marriage and abortion.
Humza Yousaf embodied continuity with progressive positions on social issues and anchored on the left on the economy, wishing for example to increase taxes on the richest. He was criticized for his record in his various posts in the government of Scotland, which has 5.5 million inhabitants. The latter is competent on many subjects including education, health and justice. More broadly, this election has potentially serious consequences for the future of the United Kingdom, whose divisions between its four constituent nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) have been aggravated by Brexit.
Scottish opinion less and less favorable to independence
During the referendum organized in 2014, 55% of Scots had voted against independence, but the debate was revived by the exit from the European Union: 62% of Scots had opposed it, a break with London becoming a means to return to the European Union.
But support for independence, at the heart of the program of the SNP, anchored on the left, is currently stagnating and the departure of the charismatic Nicola Sturgeon casts doubt on the future. According to one YouGov opinion poll March 13, 46% of respondents are in favor of independence (against 50% last month). Including the undecided, the proportion drops to 39%.
Humza Yousaf says too much time has been spent highlighting the failures of the British government in London and not enough time creating a vision for an independent Scotland. He pledged on Monday to launch a grassroots movement for self-determination.
Nicola Sturgeon, 52, announced her resignation on February 15 to everyone’s surprise, explaining that she no longer had the necessary energy. She also found herself in trouble after London blocked a controversial law making it easier to change gender. This law was to allow the recognition of gender change, without medical advice and from the age of 16.
The British Supreme Court also ruled last year that the Scottish government could not organize a new referendum without London’s agreement.
