"I cannot tell you what an honour it is being the first minister of the country I love, the country I'm raising my family in and the only country I will ever call home," Humza Yousaf says.

The first minister adds that as a boy he could never have dreamt of the privilege of "leading my country".

"People that looked like me were not in positions of political influence," he says.

He points out the UK has a British Hindu prime minister, a Muslim mayor of London, a black Welsh first minister...

"...and for a little while longer a Scots Asian first minister of this country," he says.

He adds we should all celebrate that multiculturalism.

"I have concluded that repairing the relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm," Yousaf says.He calls for a leadership contest to find his replacement as soon as possible, and will remain first minister until then.

Humza Yousaf begins by reflecting on the events of last week, saying he stood in the same position now to announce the end of the co-operation agreement with the Scottish Greens.

He says he believed the decision was right for the party and the country.

"Unfortunately in ending the Bute House Agreement in the matter I did, I clearly underestimated the level of hurt and upset that caused Green colleagues," he says.

"For a minority government to be able to govern effectively trust when working with the opposition is clearly fundamental."

Yousaf tells the news conference he is not willing to trade his principles simply to hold on to power.

He said it was "absolutely possible" he could have won a confidence vote by cutting a deal, but opted not to carry on after a weekend reflecting on his position.

Humza Yousaf’s resignation comes little more than a year after he became Scotland’s first minister.

His appointment followed his steady rise up the ranks of the SNP since he first became an MSP in 2011.

A year after winning a seat, he was made minister for Europe and international development, a position he held for nearly four years.

He then enjoyed a series of promotions, becoming transport secretary in 2016, being named as the new justice secretary in 2018 and later becoming health secretary in 2021.

When Nicola Sturgeon announced she was standing down as first minister in 2023, Yousaf was seen as the continuity candidate to succeed her.

On taking up the post, he became the first ethnic minority leader of a devolved government and the first Muslim to lead a major UK party.

Image source, Reuters

Scottish National Party leader Humza Yousaf has just resigned.

He's giving a statement now, which we're listening in to.

Stay tuned for updates, analysis and reaction - and remember you can watch live by tapping the Play button at the top of this page.

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf is starting to speak inside Edinburgh's Bute House, which is the official residence of Scotland's first minister.

You can watch his statement live by clicking the Play button at the top of this page.

We'll be bringing you the latest updates and analysis here but if you'd prefer to watch live, you can click the Play button at the top of this page.

What's the view from Westminster?published at 11:55 British Summer Time 29 April

11:55 BST 29 April

Georgia Roberts
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Lots of talk in Westminster today about the influence of the SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn.

He was in Holyrood last week and many say he was instrumental in the first minister’s decision to end the Bute House agreement.

Now his name is among those being talked about as a potential leadership contender, despite not being an MSP and therefore technically unable to become first minister – though he could lead the SNP from London.

It’s understood he doesn’t want the job at the moment, but the chatter about him will continue nonetheless.

SNP will be under pressure to find an immediate replacementpublished at 11:43 British Summer Time 29 April

11:43 BST 29 April

Lynsey Bews
BBC Scotland political correspondent

There is now a huge media presence outside Bute House in Edinburgh as anticipation builds ahead of the first minister’s media conference.

Curious members of the public are also gathering.

Humza Yousaf is set to announce his resignation just days after standing at the podium to announce a new beginning for his government, after ditching the Greens.

What happens next is still uncertain.

If he goes with immediate effect, the SNP will be under pressure to swiftly find a replacement.

Scottish voters have been offering their thoughts on Humza Yousaf's leadership to Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live this morning.

Kevin from Edinburgh says Yousaf is an "extremely divisive and arrogant individual".

"I just think he doesn't come across well to the electorate as a whole," he told Nicky.

However, SNP supporter Lynne in Glasgow says she thought Humza Yousaf was "doing a good job" as first minister.

She says that instead of resigning, Yousaf should call for an election and "let the people of Scotland decide who they want to vote for".

Image source, PA Media

The first minister made the journey from Dundee to Edinburgh with his wife Nadia El-Nakla.

Just a reminder that we will bring you Humza Yousaf's speech at Bute House which is due to start at noon.

You'll be able to follow live text coverage here and stream video of the speech by clicking the Play button at the top of this page.

James Cook
Scotland Editor, BBC News

Image source, PA Media

Humza Yousaf has now arrived at Bute House in Edinburgh, the official residence of Scotland's first minister.

He is expected to hold a press conference there in less than an hour's time, announcing his resignation.

Yousaf was spotted being driven to the back entrance of the residence in an official car, and was seen with his wife.

He was returning from Dundee, where he spent the weekend at his family home.

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us, or need a recap, here's what's been happening this morning:

• Humza Yousaf is to resign as Scotland's first minister, the BBC understands
• He'll make a statement at Bute House in about an hour, at noon
• The SNP leader is expected to stand down following the collapse of the Bute House Agreement - his party's power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens - last week
• Yousaf has been struggling to secure support to lead a minority government
• He's due to face two confidence votes this week - one in him personally, the other in his government
• The SNP has 63 MSPs in the 129-seat parliament - so if the seven Green MSPs vote against him, he is reliant on support from the sole Alba party MSP Ash Regan to continue in his role

Read more here.

Who could replace Humza Yousaf?published at 10:54 British Summer Time 29 April

10:54 BST 29 April

David Wallace Lockhart
Political correspondent

So if Humza Yousaf falls on his sword, who comes next?

An obvious name is Kate Forbes. She narrowly lost to Humza Yousaf in the SNP leadership contest which saw him become leader.

While the Scottish Greens don't like her stance on a number of social issues, it's possible she could govern by doing deals elsewhere with other parties.

I'm hearing from the Scottish Conservatives that they could work with Forbes in some policy areas, but would want to see independence take a back seat.

Another name doing the rounds is that of the former Deputy First Minister John Swinney.

He's widely seen as an experienced, popular, safe pair of hands in the party. But he didn't want the job last time round. Have things changed?

Stephen Flynn, the party's Westminster leader, is a big name in the party. He can't be first minister from Westminster, but he could technically lead the SNP if Humza Yousaf goes as party leader.

Though a party leader at Westminster and a separate first minister at Holyrood could all get a bit complicated.

Other names being reported include Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth and Health Secretary Neil Gray.

Could Humza Yousaf stay on while his successor is found?published at 10:44 British Summer Time 29 April

10:44 BST 29 April

Kirsten Campbell
BBC Scotland political correspondent

When Nicola Sturgeon resigned last year, it was a staged process.

She announced her intention to go at a future date, allowing the SNP time to elect a successor.

Only once Humza Yousaf was in place, did she formally resign as Scotland's first minister.

That’s a luxury that Yousaf doesn’t have, because as things stand he faces not one, but two, votes of no confidence at Holyrood later this week.

The minute he submits his resignation to the presiding officer and the King, the clock starts ticking.

By law, parliament will have 28 days to elect a new first minister and if MSPs can’t agree, there will need to be an election.

That’s led to speculation the SNP could put in place a caretaker first minister in the short term.

It will be up to the party to decide on the process for electing its new leader. But it will have to act swiftly.

SNP figures trying to persuade John Swinney to standpublished at 10:40 British Summer Time 29 April

10:40 BST 29 April

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

I understand senior SNP figures are trying to persuade John Swinney to stand for the leadership.

He is currently speaking at an event in London.

But his allies believe he may put himself forward to try to steady the SNP ship.

One source told me: "I think he will probably do it."

Swinney has been leader before. But he ruled out a return when Nicola Sturgeon quit last year.

Could he change his mind this time? Watch this space

Image source, PA Media

Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, says the current situation is "deeply regrettable and unnecessary".

He has told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme it's "important we return to stability".

The SNP is "capable" of governing as a "stable minority government" without a majority in the Scottish Parliament, he said.

"I don't think Humza Yousaf anymore is in a position to be able to lead such a stable minority because it depends on trust and he personally has broken trust."

Humza Yousaf was "under a lot of pressure internally" to end the Bute House power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens, according to Prof Nicola McEwan, a devolution expert at Glasgow University.

"Perhaps there was another way to do it that was more respectful and less anger-inducing", she told Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live.

She added that his authority in the SNP was "not especially high before last week".

If the Scottish first minister resigns, what happens next is the "million dollar question", she says.

Image source, PA Media

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, is claiming Humza Yousaf's resignation as a major victory for his party - before the first minister has even announced it.

It was Ross's party that tabled the first confidence vote last week, a move designed to pressure Yousaf following the collapse of the power-sharing deal underpinning his government.

Writing on X, external - formerly Twitter - this morning, Ross said: "We knew the best chance of winning a [vote of no-confidence] was in Humza Yousaf himself.

"That’s why [Scottish Tories] tabled it last Thursday and he’s now jumped before being pushed.

"We saw off Nicola Sturgeon and now Humza Yousaf.

"Now we work to remove this entire rotten SNP government from office."

Humza Yousaf is set to resign today, with the threat of a no confidence vote in him and another in his government this week.

Herald columnist and political commentator Brian Taylor tells Radio Scotland's Mornings Humza Yousaf has "lost confidence in himself".

He says when the first minister took the decision to end the Bute House agreement with the Greens he was trying to be on the front foot.

"He ended up shooting himself in that same foot," he adds.