A Labour motion of no confidence in the Scottish government will be debated in Holyrood tomorrow afternoon.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar had earlier indicated his party would push ahead with the motion.

The Scottish Conservatives earlier confirmed their leader, Douglas Ross, will no longer press ahead with his motion of no confidence in Humza Yousaf.

The Tories say it's because they had already achieved their goal of forcing the first minister to quit. Ross has now formally withdrawn the motion. .

What might be tempting John Swinney to stand?published at 13:00 British Summer Time 30 April

13:00 BST 30 April

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

About a month ago, the new Perth Museum opened to great fanfare. There was a pipe band, a procession of the high constables, and speeches from the Lord Lyon King of Arms alongside the Provost and other fair city dignitaries.

Right at the rear of the watching crowd stood the local MSP John Swinney, still in his gym kit from taking part in that morning’s parkrun.

He affably swerved my suggestion that he might have been invited to speak at the event, given his decades representing the area, instead enthusing about the new display inside for the Stone of Destiny.

Swinney seemed like a man quite happy to have taken a step back.

Image source, PA

That has been the case since he went quietly to the back benches.

He told a BBC podcast last spring that he had actually been trying to quit government since 2016.

So what might have changed to tempt him back to the front lines?

Those attempting to persuade Swinney to run will appeal to the same traits which Nicola Sturgeon did when she kept him at her side. Loyalty, and a sense of duty to party and country.

Time and again Sturgeon called on him to serve, in a host of different, difficult jobs and in the end he always answered.

His backers say his experience could be the only way to pull a stable government together in a fractious parliament. They hope that will outweigh his insistence last year that fresh voices and perspectives should take the lead.

Swinney will also be thinking of his family and the enjoyment he has taken from having time to run around Perth of a Saturday morning instead of running for high office. How does that compare to the bruising time he had when he last led the SNP?

It is certainly not an easy decision to make.

Today is the day when the race to replace Humza Yousaf as Scotland’s first minister and SNP leader gets under way. As of now, we are aware of two possible successors: Kate Forbes and John Swinney. Here's what we know so far:

• Humza Yousaf has said he will remain as first minister until his successor is chosen
• Nominations opened just before midnight and close on Monday 6 May
• The Scottish Parliament has 28 days to nominate a replacement for Yousaf once his resignation has been accepted by the King
• SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn declares support for Swinney, even though he is not officially a candidate yet
• Forbes has yet to announce her candidacy, but the BBC understands that some of Swinney’s backers are urging him to make clear there is a prominent role for her in the next cabinet
• The Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross says the Tories will no longer press ahead with its no confidence vote in Yousaf.
• Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said his party will push ahead with its motion of no confidence in the government.
• Calls for an election: Scottish Liberal Democrats say that they need to “go back to the people,” while Scottish Labour also say that “the only way to stop the chaos is election”

Nominations are open in the SNP leadership contest as senior figures have backed former Deputy First Minister John Swinney for the top job. He says he is considering a bid.

Meanwhile, a smaller number of the party's parliamentarians have given their support to former Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, who has not yet indicated if she will run.

First Minister Humza Yousaf announced on Monday he would stand down as he faced two confidence votes in Holyrood but has said he will stay on to allow a successor to be chosen.

The SNP's national secretary announced nominations opened on Monday at 23:59 and will close next Monday (6 May).

Prospective candidates will have to gain the support of 100 members from 20 different SNP branches to qualify for the contest.

In short, the relationship with the Scottish Greens and the termination "with immediate effect" of the Bute House agreement.

In mid-April, the Scottish government announced they were ditching their flagship target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030.

Following the move, the Scottish Greens announced that their members would vote on whether to remain in power with the SNP.

On 20 April, before a pro-independence march in Glasgow, Humza Yousaf said he valued the Bute House agreement and did not expect it to be scrapped.

Days later on 25 April the co-leaders of the Scottish Greens, Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie, were called to the first minister's official residence, and namesake of the agreement, Bute House and told the agreement would terminate "with immediate effect". This left the first minister leading a minority government.

During a heated first minister's questions later that day, Yousaf was labelled as a "lame duck first minister" and a vote of no confidence in him was moved by Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross.

Following this, Yousaf said he would not resign as first minister and would "absolutely" lead the SNP into the upcoming general election and 2026 Holyrood election.

On Monday, after a weekend of reflection, the first minister announced he would stand down as party leader as he "clearly underestimated" the hurt caused by ending the power sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens.

Scotland's former Labour first minister Lord Jack McConnell says opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament will be "rubbing their hands at the prospect of John Swinney being first minister".

He told BBC Radio Wales that when Swinney was leader of the SNP in the early 2000s, he "drove" some of the party's "most famous and popular politicians out of the party".

Lord McConnell also reflected on Humza Yousaf's time as the SNP's leader.

He says Yousaf represented "modern Scotland" but had taken over as FM at "the worst possible time".

Earlier today, we brought you SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn's reaction to Humza Yousaf's resignation.

Watch the clip above to hear what he says in his own words.

Image source, PA Media

MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Fergus Ewing, says the SNP not only needs a change of leader but a change of approach.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme earlier, Ewing said he was once again supporting Kate Forbes and believes she would be a "formidable first minister".

He said: "I don’t know anybody in Scotland who knows Kate Forbes who doesn’t agree she is one of the most honest, sincere people in Scotland and I find this sort of innuendo campaign, that somehow her character is a barrier, to be entirely wrong and unfair to her as a young female.

"I do think she will be able to unite the party and I do think she will be able to work with the Greens if they can put aside their apparent personal animosity towards her."

He predicted that Forbes would "raise the tone of the debate in Holyrood and in Scotland.

"She will get our heads to be held higher again, move away from all the personal attacks which get us absolutely nowhere.

"She will bring in new ideas, a fresh approach and new ideas I think Scotland needs and wants."

Iain Macinnes
BBC Scotland

Kate Forbes left her Highland home early this morning bound for Holyrood with a lot to contemplate on the three-hour journey to the Scottish capital.

She’s said to be actively considering running for the leadership of the SNP, a little over a year since she was defeated by Humza Yousaf.

While she’s being encouraged to run by supporters, the previous campaign took a toll on her as she was challenged on her socially conservative views.

Speaking to locals in her hometown of Dingwall yesterday, there was a lot of support for her – and not just from SNP supporters.

Many in rural Scotland are happy to see the back of the Bute House Agreement between the SNP and the Greens, and hope someone like Kate Forbes might bring a new perspective on issues like agriculture and rural connectivity.

Douglas Ross will no longer press ahead with his motion of no confidence in Humza Yousaf, arguing it’s achieved its goal of forcing the first minister to quit.

The Scottish Conservative leader has formally withdrawn his parliamentary motion.

Holyrood’s largest opposition party have requested that the 30-minute slot provisionally reserved for the debate tomorrow instead be allocated to a statement from the Lord Advocate on the Post Office Horizon scandal, to clear up “blatant contradictions” in the SNP government’s stance.

Ross has said: “I’m delighted that the Scottish Conservative motion of no confidence in Humza Yousaf achieved its purpose by forcing him to resign."

Yousaf had been facing two motions of no confidence this week, one tabled by the Scottish Conservatives, external in his own leadership as first minister and another from Scottish Labour, external on the government as a whole.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said his party would push ahead with its motion of no confidence in the government.

If it passes, government ministers would be obliged to stand down. Only a simple majority would be required, meaning the number of members voting for would have to be greater than those opposed.

Swinney backers want cabinet role for Forbespublished at 11:10 British Summer Time 30 April

11:10 BST 30 April

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

I’m told this morning that Kate Forbes is still actively considering whether she stands for the SNP leadership (that’s what we were told by her supporters yesterday too).

John Swinney hasn’t said anything definitive either. But his supporters are increasingly confident he will stand – and will be the man to beat.

Some of his backers are urging him to make clear there is a prominent role for Forbes in the next cabinet.

As one puts it, he will be keen to utilise all the talents of the party.

But would that be enough for Forbes to cut a deal? That’s not clear this morning. Some of her backers are very keen that she puts her name forward to avoid a coronation.

Timescale for replacing Humza Yousaf is still unclearpublished at 10:59 British Summer Time 30 April

10:59 BST 30 April

Kirsten Campbell
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The timescale for the election of a new first minister remains unclear.

Nominations have already opened for the SNP to elect a new leader.

Candidates need to have the support of 100 party members from at least 20 branches in order to stand for the position.

They'll need to have that in place by the deadline of noon on Monday 6 May, less than a week away.

But the SNP's national executive committee has not yet said how long the one-member-one-vote ballot will take after that.

Should there be a coronation of one candidate rather than a contest between two or more, then Humza Yousaf could formally tender his resignation to the King and MSPs could vote in a new first minister as early as Tuesday next week.

Image source, PA Media

Politicians are looking to who the next SNP leader will be, but what are voters looking for?

From Nicola Sturgeon's era in power, the former SNP chief of staff, Liz Lloyd, has been speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme about this.

She says Scots want their "public services dealt with" and are "not looking" for government to "move on independence right now".

"Voters want their politicians to just get on with governing... and they're less interested in the general picture of how do we make our society better, how do we address the big challenges."

Why would Kate Forbes run for the Scottish National Party leadership now?published at 10:31 British Summer Time 30 April

10:31 BST 30 April

James Cook
Scotland Editor, BBC News

Image source, PA Wire

There are many reasons why Kate Forbes might not want to run.

First, it is clear that Operation Stop Kate is in full swing within the SNP. It appears to be carefully planned and co-ordinated.

John Swinney has the backing of a string of senior figures in the party and is popular with many SNP members.

In other words, her chances of winning may be slim, and surely a second leadership defeat in a little over a year would damage the reputation of the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch?

Then there is the legacy of that bitterly-fought contest last spring.

The dust has still not settled in party circles about comments she made on social issues such as gay marriage, nor in relation to her trenchant attacks on Humza Yousaf's political abilities during the campaign, prescient though they may have been.

And what of the wider picture? The SNP is finding governing exceptionally tough after 17 years in power.

Life in Bute House is unlikely to be much easier for the next occupant.

A general election looms, with polls suggesting the SNP will lose a large number of seats to a resurgent Labour party. The 2026 Holyrood election could be tricky for the nationalists too.

Forbes is only 34-years-old. Would a more attractive option for her not be to accept the offer of a big cabinet post from Swinney, if it's forthcoming?

Then she could make her arguments about the future direction of the party from within, gain more experience, build a broader base of support and, perhaps in time, try to find a way to articulate her social views in a way that can appeal to liberals as well as conservatives.

In other words, surely she would be better biding her time?

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar appeared on BBC Breakfast earlier, and said the party's no confidence motion against the Humza Yousaf's SNP government is still on the table. He says the principle behind the motion still stands.

Watch the clip below to hear what he had to say.

Image source, PA Media

SNP MP Alison Thewliss, also the party's treasury spokesperson, was on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast earlier, and said that Humza Yousaf has recognised the situation he was in, that it would be difficult to move forward with him at the helm.

"It’s unusual, that kind of recognition in politics, of someone realising where there has been a mistake and they’re trying to take accountability for it so that was quite significant," says Thewliss, praising her party leader.

She also signals that she supports John Swinney if he becomes an official candidate:

"John has vast experience in government and leadership in Scottish parliament. Scotland’s parliament is generally a parliament of minorities and he has vast experience negotiating as a leader in a minority government."

"As far as I’m concerned, the cause for independence is far greater than any one person, any one party," she concludes.

Craig Hoy, chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party, has been offering his thoughts on the lay of the land in Scottish politics this morning.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Scots are "growing increasingly sick and tired" of the SNP government's record on domestic policies and its "[Scottish] independence obsession".

He described it as a "perfect storm" for the SNP, adding that Humza Yousaf was "dealt a terrible legacy".

"He was meant to be the continuity candidate but he was just continuing the decline that Nicola Sturgeon had embedded into her party's fortunes."

Image source, Reuters

MP Ian Blackford, former SNP leader in Westminster, tells Good Morning Scotland that they all knew the end of the Bute House agreement was coming, but it "didn't land as well as it could have done".

Asked why Humza Yousaf had said in his speech that he would not compromise his values "to do deals to retain power," Blackford says "history will judge him" on rejecting pro-independence party Alba.

"He could have put together a coalition that would have meant that the government could have been sustainable under his leadership, and he deserves great credit for that, because he has acted in a principled way," he says.

"At the end of that day it was obvious we cannot do a deal with Alex Salmond."

Blackford says John Swinney, a former SNP leader, was the man with the "skills to be able to navigate a way through for us" through the General Election and up to the Holyrood election.

Will it be a coronation or a contest?published at 09:24 British Summer Time 30 April

09:24 BST 30 April

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

We should start with a caveat. There’s no candidates yet; nobody has said that they’re definitely going to stand.

But there are two names on the lips of senior nationalists: John Swinney and Kate Forbes.

Swinney was Nicola Sturgeon’s loyal deputy for years. He’s the favourite among many SNP figures. He’d be the man to beat if he stands (when I spoke to him yesterday, that seemed likely but not definite).

He’s got years of experience at the top levels of government. He’s popular among the SNP - and knows how to work with the Greens. But would he suffer from being seen as the continuity candidate? Some nationalists are already arguing he’s yesterday’s man.

Then there’s Kate Forbes. She was narrowly beaten by Yousaf last year. She was thinking about standing yesterday. The fact her supporters have started making the case for a contest suggests there could well be one.

Forbes used to be finance secretary, so she also has experience at high levels of government. She clearly had a lot of supporters among the membership last year. But remember the chaotic launch of her campaign last year, where she was criticised by many (not all) in the SNP for her views on gay marriage?

They have until next Monday to decide whether to stand. Could they do a deal? Maybe. It’s also possible someone else could emerge, too.

We’ll know in a few days if there will be a contest or a coronation.

When a first minister resigns, the Scottish Parliament has 28 days to choose a replacement or else an election will be called.

Humza Yousaf has said he will continue in the post until a new SNP leader is selected, so the clock will not start ticking until his successor is appointed.

The SNP's Kate Forbes and John Swinney are the frontrunners - although neither have officially said they will stand. Nominations for the contest close next Monday.

Let's take a quick look at the choreography between now and then:

Image source, .