Back Humza Yousaf AF حمزة يوسف (سياسي) Arabic حمزة يوسف ARZ Humza Yousaf AZ Хумза Юсаф Bulgarian হামজা ইউসুফ (রাজনীতিবিদ) Bengali/Bangla Humza Yousaf BR Humza Yousaf Catalan Humza Yousaf Czech Humza Yousaf CY
Humza Yousaf | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Official portrait, 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Minister of Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 29 March 2023 – 7 May 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Charles III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Shona Robison | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Nicola Sturgeon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | John Swinney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Scottish National Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 March 2023 – 6 May 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Depute | Keith Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Nicola Sturgeon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | John Swinney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Pollok | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 5 May 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Johann Lamont | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 7,105 (21.0%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 5 May 2011 – 5 May 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Humza Haroon Yousaf 7 April 1985 Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Scottish National Party | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Hutchesons' Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | humzayousaf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Humza Haroon Yousaf (/ˈhʌmzə ˈjuːsəf/;[1] born 7 April 1985) is a British politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from March 2023 until his resignation in May 2024. He served under his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as justice secretary from 2018 to 2021 and then as health secretary from 2021 to 2023. He has been Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Pollok since 2016, having previously been a regional MSP for Glasgow from 2011 to 2016.
Born to Pakistani immigrants in Glasgow, Yousaf studied politics at the University of Glasgow, before working as a parliamentary assistant for Bashir Ahmad, the first Muslim and second generation immigrant elected to the Scottish Parliament. Following Ahmad's death in 2009, Yousaf went on to work as a parliamentary assistant for both Alex Salmond and Sturgeon. Prior to his election at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, he worked in the SNP's party headquarters as a communications officer. Appointed as a junior minister under Salmond in 2012, Yousaf served as Minister for External Affairs and International Development until 2014.
Yousaf supported Sturgeon's successful leadership bid in 2014 and after she was sworn in as first minister, he was subsequently appointed as Europe minister before being appointed Minister for Transport and the Islands in 2016. As part of a cabinet reshuffle of Sturgeon's second ministry in 2018, Yousaf was promoted to the cabinet as justice secretary. He introduced a controversial bill to parliament which ultimately became law as the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.[2][3] In 2021, he was appointed health secretary during the later phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and was responsible for the NHS's recovery, as well as the mass roll-out of the vaccination programme which began under his predecessor.
Following Sturgeon's resignation as leader of the SNP and as first minister, Yousaf won the 2023 SNP leadership election. Yousaf was appointed first minister on 29 March 2023, becoming the youngest person, the first Scottish Asian, and the first Muslim to serve in office. He was sworn into the Privy Council in May 2023.[4] In April 2024, he formed a minority government after terminating a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens. After facing an imminent motion of no confidence amid a government crisis, he announced his intention to resign as first minister and party leader on 29 April 2024.[5][6] He formally resigned on 7 May 2024 and was succeeded by John Swinney, becoming the second shortest serving first minister after Henry McLeish.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, visit to University Hospital Monklands". YouTube. 26 May 2021. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "MSPs approve Scotland's controversial hate crime law". BBC News. 11 March 2021. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ Philip, Andy (9 September 2020). "Humza Yousaf defends controversial hate crime laws after backlash". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ "Orders for 17 May 2023" (PDF). Privy Council Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ^ "How big a threat to Humza Yousaf is a no-confidence vote?". BBC News. 25 April 2024. Archived from the original on 29 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ Harness, James (29 April 2024). "Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf to resign". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
Scottish National Party leader Humza Yousaf quits, triggering a search for a successor and new first minister[...] He calls for a leadership contest to find his replacement as soon as possible, and will remain first minister until then.