Humza Yousaf to make First Minister's Questions debut
- Published
Humza Yousaf will face questions from his political rivals later in his debut at First Minister's Questions.
It will give MSPs their first chance to grill Mr Yousaf in his new job.
The session in the Holyrood chamber follows three days of ceremony and procedure since his election as SNP leader on Monday.
He won the backing of the majority of MSPs to become first minister on Tuesday before being sworn in at the Court of Session on Wednesday.
Mr Yousaf has named a 10-strong cabinet, with his new deputy Shona Robison taking over the finance brief from Kate Forbes.
Former justice secretary Keith Brown has left the cabinet, while Michael Matheson takes on a health brief focused on NHS recovery.
Eighteen non-cabinet ministerial positions have also been announced including a new minister for independence, a role filled by Jamie Hepburn.
Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, the co-leaders of the Scottish Greens who have a partnership agreement with the SNP, keep the jobs they held under Nicola Sturgeon.
There is no role in Humza Yousaf's government for defeated SNP leadership candidate Ash Regan, while Ms Forbes - who was only narrowly defeated in the contest- had turned down a move to rural affairs.
The cabinet will be officially agreed by parliament after FMQs.
During the first of his weekly 45-minute question and answer sessions, Mr Yousaf will be quizzed by MSPs including Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross and Scottish Labour's Anas Sarwar.
Mr Ross will ask four questions, before Mr Sarwar puts three to the first minister.
Other MSPs will have the opportunity to ask one question and a follow-up of Mr Yousaf.
Humza Yousaf sat next to Nicola Sturgeon at her final FMQs last week
FMQs takes place every Thursday at midday but a two-week parliamentary recess means Mr Yousaf will not face another until 20 April.
The new cabinet announced on Wednesday has five members under 40 and a majority of women.
Màiri McAllan, the new cabinet secretary for net zero and just transition, is just 30; the rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon is 37.
Neil Gray, a close ally of Mr Yousaf, has been appointed cabinet secretary for wellbeing economy, fair work and energy, at the age of 37.
Mr Yousaf said his cabinet reflected the government's priorities - tackling child poverty, improving public services and building a fairer, greener economy.
But the departure of Mr Yousaf's main rival in the leadership race, Kate Forbes, sparked concern among some in the SNP.
As she received almost 48% of the vote of SNP members, she was expected to be offered a cabinet job in a bid to unify the party.
However, she turned down the offer of the rural affairs brief - a post considered a step down from her role as finance secretary - and chose to leave the government.
Mr Yousaf said he was disappointed by Ms Forbes' decision but said she told him she wanted time out of the spotlight.
"Of course I'm disappointed because Kate's exceptional, she's a great talent, she's somebody who's got a lot to give...but she told me she wanted a bit of time out of the limelight," he said.
"She's made a big decision that's for herself, for her family, but she will continue to serve this country, continue to serve this party with absolute distinction."
Ms Forbes paid tribute to her leadership rival on Twitter, saying: "In whatever capacity I serve, I'll support him... after five long weeks, I'll be delighted to see more of my family."