Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf announced he would be resigning as SNP leader in a press conference on Monday afternoon, paving the way for a contest to succeed him.
Yousaf’s announcement came after days of wrangling over a vote of no confidence in the first minister at Holyrood, which was due to be put before MSPs this week.
Speaking on Monday, the soon-to-be former FM admitted he had “clearly underestimated the level of hurt and upset” he had caused Green MSPs by ending the Bute House coalition agreement .
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“For a minority government to be able to govern effectively and efficiently, trust when working with the opposition is clearly fundamental”, he said, adding: “I’ve concluded that repairing a relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm.”
Barely 90 minutes later, John Swinney, who served as Scottish deputy first minister for eight years under Nicola Surgeon, said he was giving “active consideration” to running to replace Yousaf as SNP leader.
Swinney, who also led the party from 2000-2004, said he had been “somewhat overwhelmed” by messages from colleagues in the SNP urging him to take on the role.
Several of these figures have since gone public, including the SNP’s leader at Westminster Stephen Flynn, who had been tipped by some as a potential contender to succeed Yousaf himself.
Speaking to the News Agents podcast, Flynn ruled himself out of the race to replace Yousaf and threw his support behind Swinney. “There’s only one person who can unite the party … and country”, he said, adding he “would certainly encourage [Swinney] to stand”.
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Ian Blackford, Flynn’s predecessor as SNP Westminster leader, has also backed Swinney. Speaking to the BBC, he said: “I know that John Swinney … has indicated that he may well indeed put his name forward.
“I would encourage John to do so for a whole host of reasons because of the type of person he is, as someone that can build support, not just in the party, but across parliament and across the country, someone with the depth and breadth of experience in government”.
Blackford added that Swinney has “what it takes to show the leadership, not just to provide stability, but to take the party and take the country forward”.
The SNP’s longest serving MP Pete Wishart is another backer of Swinney. He posted on X/Twitter not long after Yousaf’s resignation: “John Swinney would be an excellent unifier for our country and our party. We should all get behind him if he chooses to run.”
Wishart’s sentiment is echoed by Alyn Smith, the SNP’s Europe spokesperson at Westminster. He posted the following to X on Monday afternoon: “I hope [John Swinney] puts himself forward. He has experience, gravitas and decency. He can unite and focus us in challenging times”.
Swinney aside, no other SNP representative has yet made any comment expressing leadership ambitions. However, the long-term aspirations of former finance secretary Kate Forbes, the runner-up in the party’s 2023 leadership election, have been the subject of persistent speculation in recent days.
If she opted to run, she could thwart the Swinney coronation that many in the SNP — especially the party old guard — appear to be rallying behind.
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on X/Twitter here.
Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website, providing comprehensive coverage of UK politics. Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.
Politics@Lunch: Why ‘Humza the Brief’ resigned
