Humza Yousaf steps down as First Minister

Humza Yousaf, the youngest and first person of colour to hold the office of Scotland’s First Minister has formally stepped down. At his time of appointment, he was the first Muslim leader of any Western nation.

Following the First Minister’s election in March last year, he announced his intention to stand down last week, remaining in post until a new First Minister was appointed.  

Mr Yousaf officially tendered his resignation in writing today to His Majesty King Charles III which has been accepted and the Scottish Parliament notified.  

Humza Yousaf said:  

“Being the First Minister of the country I love, the country I am raising my family in, and the only country I will ever call home has been a phenomenal honour.  

“As a young Muslim boy, born and raised in Scotland, I could never have dreamt that one day I would have the privilege of leading my country – people who looked like me, were not in positions of political influence, let alone leading governments when I was younger.  

“I am proud to have delivered a council tax freeze for households in every local authority in Scotland, invested record amounts in our National Health Service, removed peak fares on our railways, and approved plans for Europe’s largest floating offshore windfarm. And through our actions, an estimated 100,000 children are expected to be kept out of poverty this year.

“From the backbenches of the Scottish Parliament, I will continue to champion the rights and the voices of those who are often not heard, be they at home or abroad.”   

First Minister Humza Yousaf’s letter to His Majesty King Charles III:  

Your Majesty,

With my humble duty, I write as anticipated in my letter to Your Majesty of 29 April to tender to Your Majesty my resignation from the office of First Minister.  I propose that my resignation take effect from the start of Scottish parliamentary plenary business on Tuesday 7 May 2024.

Throughout my time as First Minister, I have been most grateful for your counsel and the kindness you have shown to both Nadia and I.

It has been my pleasure to serve Your Majesty and the people of Scotland since March 2023.   

Humza Yousaf 

Background 

First Minister to stand down - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) 

Humza Yousaf has held a number of ministerial positions in the Scottish Government since 2012, and joined the Cabinet in June 2018 as Cabinet Secretary for Justice. 

He was then appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in May 2021. 

He officially took up the post of First Minister of Scotland on 29 March 2023 when he was sworn in at the Court of Session. 

Modelling published in February 2024 estimates that Scottish Government’s policies will keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty in 2024-25, with relative poverty levels 10 percentage points lower than they would have otherwise been.  Child poverty cumulative impact assessment: update - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)