SNP could make life difficult for Labour - Humza Yousaf

Humza Yousaf has said the SNP could make life "very difficult" for Labour in a hung parliament if it refused to give Scotland the power to call a referendum.

Scotland's first minister reiterated devolving this power would be the price for SNP support on Labour's agenda.

However he said it was "obvious" that independence was not the "consistent settled will of the Scottish people".

Labour have repeatedly said they would not do a referendum deal with the SNP.

UK leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a snap general election following Boris Johnson's shock resignation as an MP.

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Last month senior figures in the SNP said they could hold the balance of power in the next parliament - the most explicit statement yet of their strategy ahead of the next general election.

They told the BBC they would make the demand for a referendum a central part of their general election campaign.

Speaking on BBC One's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Yousaf said having an independence referendum would be "top of the list" if Labour wanted SNP cooperation.

He said: "We would never prop up a Conservative government, ever. And underline that and put that in bold. But of course if Labour do not want to cooperate with us then we would make life very difficult for them."

Asked what he meant by this, Mr Yousaf pointed to budgets and the "legislative process".

"There were some tricky times when we were a minority government," he said. "What you want is a government, particularly if you're coming in fresh as a new government, you want stability.

"You want to be able to get your budget through, you want to be able to get your legislative agenda through, you don't want frustrated at every single corner and every single turn."

Scottish Labour's deputy leader Jackie Baillie said Mr Yousaf's comments were an admission that he would "usher in a Tory government".

She said: "That threat is a betrayal to the people of Scotland, who are dealing with soaring living costs and falling wages."

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said Mr Yousaf appeared confident he could "hold a minority Labour government to ransom" - and that Keir Starmer would "cave to demands" for an independence vote.

Independence support 'not consistent'

Mr Yousaf was sworn in as first minister in March after he defeated rivals Kate Forbes and Ash Regan in a leadership contest that exposed deep divisions within the party.

The 37-year-old became the first Muslim to lead a major UK party.

He was widely assumed to be Nicola Sturgeon's preferred successor, although she did not explicitly back any of the candidates in the contest.

Ms Sturgeon wanted to use the next general election in Scotland as a de facto referendum, though this would have no effect in law.

But in a rethink of strategy, Mr Yousaf has said he wanted to focus on making the case for independence because he knows pushing for a vote immediately will be rejected.

In opinion polls, support for Scottish independence consistently sits in the mid to high forties.

Mr Yousaf told Laura Kuenssberg his preference was a "legally binding referendum"

He said: "We're there or thereabouts in relation to support for independence. I don't want to be there or thereabouts, I want to make sure that independence is a consistent settled will.

"So at the moment for example it's pretty obvious that independence is not the consistent settled will of the Scottish people."

Mr Yousaf later added that support for independence is "still rock solid".

He said: "I've got no doubt at all, that I will be the leader that will ensure that Scotland becomes an independent nation."

Humza Yousaf's interview comes as the SNP prepares for a special convention to discuss the way towards independence.

His comments will be looked at closely by both supporters and opponents.

In many respects, he merely restated his position.

His preferred option would be a referendum. He did not describe the next general election as a "defacto referendum" but believes each vote for the SNP demonstrates support for independence.

He hopes the right to hold a referendum could be extracted from Labour if it is the biggest party in a hung parliament.

But Labour is clear this will not happen: It believes any deal with the SNP could harm its recovery in England and fears it could drive away Scots who do not support another referendum.

It was, perhaps, surprising to hear Mr Yousaf explicitly say that independence is "not the consistent settled will of the Scottish people".

This may seem like a simple statement of fact given recent polling. But they are not words you would expect to hear from a first minister committed to independence as they could be seized on by opponents.

Of course, Mr Yousaf wants that to change and wants support for independence to increase.

He also confirmed that there needs to be a consistent majority for independence before a referendum should be held.

So is the first minister making a distinction between wanting Holyrood to have the right to hold a referendum and actually holding one?

Clearly the consequences of losing a second referendum are something Mr Yousaf is well aware of and he may be playing the longer and more subtle game. He only wants a vote to take place if it will secure independence.

But will more impatient supporters of independence be content?

Mr Yousaf's early days as first minister have proved to be challenging, with the arrest and release of the SNP's chief executive - and Nicola Sturgeon's husband - Peter Murrell over a police investigation into the party's finances.

There is also a looming legal row over Scotland's gender reform legislation and a row with the UK government over Scotland's deposit return scheme.

The DRS was last week postponed until October 2025 when, despite an ultimatum from the first minister, the UK government excluded glass from the Scottish scheme.

Mr Yousaf has already warned that devolution is "becoming unworkable" and criticised the "interfering" Conservative government at Westminster.

It comes after the Scottish government's independence minister Jamie Hepburn told the Daily Record that the SNP should consider a "multi-option referendum", including a devo-max option.