Analysis: Yousaf wants to continue Sturgeon legacypublished at 14:06 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2023

14:06 GMT 20 February 2023

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Humza Yousaf made no bones about pitching himself as a Nicola Sturgeon continuity candidate in his opening campaign speech.

He talked about how “gutted” he was when she told him she was quitting, praising her “astonishing legacy” – being quite clear that this is “a legacy I hope to continue”.

He would do this by continuing with her domestic agenda, and by continuing the partnership agreement with the Scottish Greens.

This is a fairly straightforward political calculation not just because Mr Yousaf really is relatively close to the outgoing first minister, having served her in a range of different government posts.

It’s also because the SNP’s membership grew enormously on Ms Sturgeon’s watch. Those members are quite fond of her, and may look kindly on a candidate who looks to emulate her.

SNP leadership contender Humza leadership says he took time to consider the impact on his family before deciding to run.

"First and foremost I am Humza the father, Humza the husband, the son, a brother," he said at an event to launch his campaign.

He said even in his busy role as health secretary he had found time for his family.

Two other SNP figures who were tipped as possible contenders - Angus Robertson and Neil Gray - have cited their young families as factors in their decisions not to enter the race.

While we've been hearing about who is running for leadership of the SNP, there are also several key figures in the party who are out of the running:

John Swinney - deputy first minister - seen as popular with party members but declined to stand saying he would do what is "right for my family, the Scottish National Party and our country".

Keith Brown - SNP deputy leader - has said he will not endorse a candidate and instead remain as deputy leader and focus on providing continuity.

Angus Robertson - constitution secretary - was widely tipped as a contender but cited family commitments saying, "As the father of two very young children the time is not right for me and my family to take on such a huge commitment".

Mairi McAllan - environment minister - was seen as a rising star but also said "now is not the right time for me to seek the very top job of leading our party and country".

Neil Gray - international development minister - another minister seen as a rising star also ruled himself out, saying "I have concluded that with my children the age they are, and given I am relatively new to government, now is not the right time for me." He has endorsed Humza Yousaf.

Joanna Cherry - Edinburgh West MP and KC - has said "There is also a need for reform and healing within our party. I'm looking forward to playing my role in this process." She has endorsed Ash Regan.

Stephen Flynn - SNP Westminster leader - was one of the first to say he would not stand. The MP said the job should go to a member of the Scottish Parliament.

Regarding the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which is currently blocked by the UK government, Sturgeon says she will not offer public advice, on this issue or any other, to the new leader, but her "door will always be open" to them.

"It's often described as my bill, but it is a bill that was passed by a two-thirds majority in the Scottish Parliament," she says.

But she adds that the principle of Westminster overriding a democratic decision of the Scottish Parliament "matters even more than the subject matter of any particular bill".

And she says the Scottish Greens will not necessarily pull out of a power-sharing agreement with the SNP if they do not approve of the next first minister.

Her deal with them "cemented progressive centre-left in the Scottish Parliament" and gave the two pro-independence parties a majority at Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon says.

Image source, STV

Nicola Sturgeon says she will not endorse any candidates in the contest to be her successor.

But she says she is "delighted" that there is an "array of talent in the SNP, people ready and willing to step up" to lead the country.

"It's now for the SNP members to scrutinise and evaluate the competing candidates and make their choice," she adds.

"I'm not going to pass any comment on any individual candidate, I'm not going to endorse anyone. I've got one vote, same as every other SNP member."

She adds: "I'm very, very confident that the members of the SNP will make a good choice."

Image source, PA Media

The former community safety minister is best known for quitting her government post in protest over gender reform legislation.

But the 48-year-old has also gained some prominent supporters among the legal profession, external thanks to her engagement with them during the Covid pandemic.

She has been MSP for Edinburgh Eastern since 2016 and says she would ditch the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill and call for an independence convention to "create a new vision of an independent Scotland".

She has also thrown her support behind the idea of using a future election as a "de facto referendum", saying that pro-independence parties winning over 50% of the vote would be "a clear instruction that Scotland wishes to be an independent nation".

Ms Regan has also called for members who quit the party over the gender reform row to be allowed back in to vote in the leadership contest - an idea laughed off as "preposterous" by deputy first minister John Swinney.

So far she is backed by Joanna Cherry MP.

Read more about the candidates here.

There is a third declared contender for the SNP leadership with Ash Regan announcing her candidacy on social media yesterday.

In her post, Ms Regan said her aim was to "reinvigorate the party".

She outlined a plan to call for independence convention to be held to "create a new vision of an independent Scotland". And she backed proposals to use either a Westminster or Holyrood election as a de facto referendum on Scottish independence.

Image source, Getty Images

Kate Forbes - who has just entered the leadership contest - has had a meteoric rise through the ranks of government.

She was dropped into the job following the surprise resignation of Derek Mackay and was left to deliver the 2020 Scottish Budget with just a few hours' notice.

Her steady performance since then has belied her relatively young age - 32 - and short parliamentary career.

She was first elected to the seat of Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch in 2016, but has been talked about as a future leadership contender for some time.

Ms Forbes has been on maternity leave since last summer, meaning she has not participated in some key debates within the SNP about gender reform and independence strategy.

She has previously raised questions about the gender reforms and is a member of the Free Church of Scotland, which follows a strict interpretation of the Bible.

She has described how she has often had to "tiptoe around" her faith.

So far she is being backed by Business Minister Ivan McKee.

Read more about the candidates here.

There has been a flurry of activity in the SNP leadership contest so far today.

In case you are just joining us, here is what has been happening:

• Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson - viewed by many as a potential favourite - has ruled himself out of becoming leader, saying the "time was not right" for him and his young family.
• Kate Forbes has confirmed she is standing. The finance secretary is cutting short her maternity leave to join Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and former minister Ash Regan in the leadership race.
• Mr Yousaf announced he would stand yesterday, but has been holding a launch event in Clydebank.
• He told those gathered that he is not "wedded" to the idea of using the next general election as a de facto referendum on Scottish independence.

Image source, PA Media

Humza Yousaf says the Scottish government should "absolutely" challenge the decision of the UK government to block a bill passed by Holyrood to make it easier for people to change their legal gender.

The candidate for the SNP leadership says the decision is not about the controversial gender recognition reform (GRR) bill but "an assault on our democratic institution".

He says the Scottish government should not "lay down and allow them to trample over the will of the Scottish parliament on a bill that had support from every political party in the chamber".

Whether people supported the GRR bill or not, he adds, they "absolutely support defending and protecting Scotland's democracy".

Mr Yousaf affirms he supports the GRR bill, despite the accompanying outcry over the decision to initially remand double rapist Isla Bryson in a women's prison.

“Let’s not let Isla Bryson define the 99.9% of trans women out there who have never committed a crime, who are not deceptive and are not trying to manipulate a system in the way I am certain Isla Bryson is,” he adds.

Mr Yousaf says he is "never going to say a bad word" about Nicola Sturgeon, who he considers "not just a friend but a mentor".

But if he wins the contest to be the next leader, the health secretary says he will adopt a "big-tent approach" and have a "phenomenal team around him".

He says being a "continuity candidate" is "no bad thing" given where Ms Sturgeon has taken the SNP - "we continue to be miles ahead of our opposition".

But he adds: "I have learned a lot over the years from Nicola Sturgeon but I will do things my way if I am elected as the next party leader and next first minister."

Image source, Getty Images

The health secretary is part of a newer generation of SNP figures, having become a Glasgow MSP in 2011.

He has held a number of senior posts in government, including as transport minister, Europe minister and justice secretary.

Ms Sturgeon faced calls to sack the 37-year-old over his running of the NHS in Scotland this winter, as waiting times hit record highs and doctors issued safety warnings.

But Mr Yousaf has pointed to the pay offer made to NHS staff last week, which he says is likely to avoid strike action for the next financial year.

He has pitched himself as a candidate who would continue the work of Ms Sturgeon's administration and maintain the SNP's partnership government with the Greens.

In terms of independence, he says he wants to talk about policy rather than process, and to "grow our movement from the grassroots upwards".

He is backed by Neil Gray, the international development minister; and Maree Todd, public health minister.

Read more about the candidates here.

Image source, PA Media

SNP leadership candidate Humza Yousaf was cautious when asked about whether he would want voters to treat the next general election as if it was a referendum on independence.

He told the BBC's James Cook that he was not "wedded" to the controversial idea - put forward by Nicola Sturgeon.

Under the plan, Sturgeon suggested that if a majority cast votes for pro-independence parties the party could treat that as a signal to open negotiations on independence.

There had been plans to hold a special SNP conference about the independence strategy but this has now been postponed.

Yousaf welcomed that move and said he would "listen and trust" the members. He says he is not focused on process but on results.

Mr Yousaf concludes his initial remarks by saying he is "excited but not daunted" by the chance to follow Nicola Sturgeon as first minister, even though they are "big shoes to fill" and she is "a hard act to follow".

Opposition parties "could not be more wrong" if they think that Ms Sturgeon's departure "signals the death knell of the SNP", he says.

Mr Yousaf pledges to "re-energise the independence campaign in the best interests of our nation".

Mr Yousaf goes on to outline the reasons why he thinks he can become the SNP's next leader, and first minister.

1. Experience - since being elected as a MSP in 2011 and served as a minister since 2012, he says he has been entrusted with some of the most difficult jobs - transport, justice, now health. He says the NHS is showing "green shoots of recovery" and strikes have been avoided because of "trusted relationships" he has built with trade union partners
2. Necessary skills to bridge political divides. He says the FM needs to be able to reach across parliament in the best interest of Scotland – and the SNP is already doing that in their deal with the Greens
3. Independence - Mr Yousaf says he believes in it "with every fibre of his being" but not as an end in itself, but as a means to a "fairer, more socially just Scotland for all our citizens". "We can't afford to be tied to this unequal union a minute longer," he adds. "We need our independence as a nation to thrive."

Analysis: The different agendas start to emergepublished at 11:39 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2023

11:39 GMT 20 February 2023

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The shape of the SNP leadership contest has come fully into focus after a flurry of announcements.

Three candidates will spend the next five weeks pitching for the votes of the SNP membership.

All are relatively fresh faces, members of a “new generation” for the party, with more experienced figures like John Swinney and Angus Robertson deciding not to stand.

None of them have ever been in opposition and all have experience of government, but otherwise they come from quite different positions within the party.

Humza Yousaf is pitching himself as a Sturgeon continuity candidate, paying fulsome tribute to the outgoing FM in his launch video. He has sounded a more cautious note on independence campaigning, but would otherwise look to continue her agenda.

Ash Regan is the polar opposite, pledging to scrap Holyrood’s gender reforms – something which would surely break up the SNP-Green partnership – and sounding a gung-ho note on using a future election as a “de facto referendum”.

Kate Forbes is more of a wild card, in that she has been on maternity leave during the recent rows over independence strategy and gender. How she decides to position herself will have a key bearing on how this race plays out.

The health secretary says he chose Clyedebank to host this press conference as it holds "a really dear place in my heart".

His late grandfather came from a small town in Pakistan in 1962 with barely a word of English, he says, and his first job was "just down the road" in a Singer sewing machine factory.

"I don't imagine in his wildest dreams that his grandson would one day be running to be first minister of Scotland," Mr Yousaf says.

He says it "speaks to us as a nation that anyone, regardless of race, can aim for the highest office in our country and not be judged by the colour of their skin".

Scotland "should be proud that a grandson of an immigrant can seek to become the next first minister," he adds.

Image source, Getty Images

At his campaign launch, Humza Yousaf says a week ago, he "didn't think I would be doing this today".

He also pays tribute to his "friend" Nicola Sturgeon, saying he was "deeply sad, gutted frankly" when the first minister called to tell him she was resigning.

"She is by every objective measure the best politician in these islands", he says, who has "defied all the conventional rules of politics" and has taken the independence movement to "dizzying heights".

Mr Yousaf says he hopes to continue Ms Sturgeon's legacy of social justice.

"She has given so much to our cause and so much to our country," he adds.

Meanwhile Humza Yousaf's official campaign launch is getting under way in Glasgow.

It starts with an address from fellow MSP Neil Gray, who pays tribute to Nicola Sturgeon for her "incredible dedication, passion and integrity over the last eight years" as Scotland's first minster.

She leaves behind "an incredible legacy of popular support for the SNP," he says.

Mr Gray says this campaign is not just about convincing SNP members as to who should lead the party next but also an "audition" for the FM role.

"I believe strongly that Humza Yousaf has what it takes to do those jobs," Mr Gray says.

He has known Mr Yousaf for 15 years and says he has been "at the heart of the SNP government" over the last 10 years.