Who is Ash Regan, the woman who could be key to Yousaf's fate?

Ash Regan quit the SNP several months after Humza Yousaf defeated her in the contest to become the party’s leader – but now she could play a key role in whether he continues as first minister.

Ms Regan is now an Alba MSP, and her vote could be crucial when a motion of no confidence in Mr Yousaf takes place in the Scottish Parliament.

She has written to the first minister setting out her demands in exchange for her support in the vote, which comes after Mr Yousaf ended the power sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens.

Ash Regan was little known outside political circles until she quit as community safety minister in October 2022 over plans to make it easier for someone to change their legally-recognised gender.

It was the first time an SNP minister had quit over government policy since the party came to power in 2007.

Ms Regan had been a longstanding critic of the proposals and was one of nine SNP politicians who rebelled against the party whip in a vote two months later.

The following year she was one of three candidates in the contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon as party leader and first minister.

Ms Regan finished third in that vote, which was won by Humza Yousaf.

In October 2023 she defected from the SNP to join Alex Salmond’s pro-independence Alba Party, becoming its first MSP.

Ash Regan speaking at a demonstration against the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill in 2022

The 50-year-old, who has twin sons, was born in Biggar. Her parents owned a kilt shop in Glasgow and she attended primary school in Scotland before moving to England.

She received a BA in international relations at Keele University and a diploma at the London School of Public Relations.

She worked in PR, marketing and event management before returning to Scotland in 2012, when she became active in the Women for Independence organisation and the Common Weal think tank.

She joined the SNP after the 2014 referendum, then defeated Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale in the 2016 Holyrood election to become MSP for Edinburgh Eastern.

She was appointed community safety minister by Nicola Sturgeon two years later.

She held the role until her resignation over the gender reform bill, which she said her conscience would not let her support.

Ash Regan finished third in the SNP leadership race last year

During the leadership campaign Ms Regan described gender self-identification legislation as "flawed" and said the party had lost its way in recent years.

She also spoke out against controversial proposals for a bottle return scheme and voiced support for the North Sea oil and gas industry, where she believed the focus should be on protecting jobs.

Her stance on these issues clashed with the views of Green ministers Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater.

Ms Regan also raised eyebrows during the leadership campaign with proposals for an "independence thermometer" that would be erected in a public place so people could see how close Scotland was to independence.

When she joined Alba later in 2023, Ms Regan said the SNP had “lost its focus on independence”.

At the time, Mr Yousaf told BBC Scotland she was "not a particularly great loss" to the party.

But Ms Regan could now play a crucial role when the Scottish Parliament votes on a motion of no confidence in the first miniser.

The Greens said on Thursday they would vote against the first minister, meaning his survival could depend on Ms Regan's vote.

She has sent Mr Yousaf her list of demands to secure her support, which included progress on Scottish independence and defending "the rights of women and children".