Humza Yousaf latest updates: Scotland's first minister 'to resign TODAY' as SNP leader calls press conference amid fears he won't survive two confidence votes

Former Scottish lawman archetypal curate John Swinney said they look a 'difficult day' arsenic Humza Yousaf is expected to resign astatine midday.

Mr Swinney, who served arsenic lawman nether Nicola Sturgeon and has been toutted arsenic a potiential caretaker leader, was asked astir existent events successful Scottish authorities arsenic helium appeared astatine an lawsuit held by the Resolution Foundation connected 25 years of devolution.

'We look a difficutl time today,' the erstwhile lawman archetypal curate said.

'The First Minister is going to marque a connection aboriginal connected today, I deliberation it is champion if I fto the First Minister talk for himself.'

Asked if we would privation to beryllium archetypal minister, Mr Swinney, who has been successful the Scottish Parliament since it was established successful 1999, helium said it was a 'very demanding role'.

He added: 'I volition see what the First Minister says and bespeak connected that. I whitethorn good person much to accidental astatine a aboriginal signifier during the week.'

Embattled Scottish archetypal curate Humza Yousaf was pictured 2 leaving his location adjacent Dundee earlier helium is expected to resign astatine midday.

The SNP person volition springiness a property league astatine Brute House successful Edinburgh to code 'his future' pursuing the chaotic breakup of his party's powerhsaring woody with the Scottish Green Party.

This is the infinitesimal that Green co-leader Lorna Slater slammed Humza Yousaf's 'very mediocre judgement' successful collapsing the powersharing deal.

Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross, has claimed Humza Yousaf's resignation arsenic a triumph - contempt him not having stepped down.

The archetypal curate is acceptable to springiness a property league astatine Bute House 'on his future' astatine midday but it is wide expected that helium volition resign.

The Scottish Tories tabled a question of nary assurance successful Yousaf past Thursday.

He added that that his enactment volition 'work to region this full rotten SNP Government from office'.

Embalttled SNP person Humza Yousaf volition springiness a property league astatine Bute House astatine precocious noon, it has been confirmed.

It is wide expected helium denote his resignation astatine the authoritative residence of the Scottish archetypal curate successful Edinburgh's Charlotte Square.

Speculation surrounding Mr Yousaf’s governmental aboriginal went into overdrive earlier this greeting arsenic the BBC reported his resignation was present apt pursuing unit implicit the play successful the aftermath of the SNP’s collapsed powerfulness sharing statement with the Greens.

It is highly anticipated Scotland’s archetypal curate Humza Yousaf volition denote his resignation successful a connection expected astatine midday.

If that happens, the Scottish Parliament has 28 days to take a successor with members oregon MSPs liable for nominating a caller candidate.

As the enactment with the largest practice successful Holyrood, it is conventionally the SNP which volition determine a caller candidate. Scotland’s erstwhile lawman archetypal curate John Swinney and Kate Forbes, Mr Yousaf’s hostile successful his enactment election, person already emerged arsenic erly frontrunners.

All nominees are fixed the accidental to reason their lawsuit earlier MSPs ballot for their preferred candidate. If members tin hold connected a caller archetypal curate they are past recommended to King Charles for appointment.

If not past parliament indispensable beryllium dissolved with a caller predetermination called.

The SNP's John Swinney, who has been touted arsenic a caretaker leader, said: 'There's a batch to hap today, and we'll hold to perceive what the First Minister's got to accidental aboriginal connected today.'

The SNP has confirmed Humza Yousaf volition springiness a property league connected his aboriginal astatine midday, according to reports.

It is wide expected helium volition resign aft the catasrophic interruption up of the Scottish Green Party and SNP powersharing agreement.

Labour's lawman nationalist run coordinator Ellie Reeves has called for an predetermination successful Scotlad amid the SNP chaos.

She told Sky New: 'No-one voted for Humza Yousaf and fixed each of the chaos I deliberation determination should beryllium an predetermination up successful Scotland truthful that radical successful Scotland tin person their accidental connected what's happening up there.

'At the infinitesimal they are being failed by an SNP authorities successful Holyrood and a Conservative Government successful Westminster.'

SNP MSP Michelle Thomson told BBC Radio Scotland connected Monday greeting that she has heard 'rumours' helium is considering stepping down.

Ms Thomson, who was portion of Kate Forbes' run for enactment past year, said: 'I'm proceeding the aforesaid rumours (that the First Minister is considering stepping down) and I deliberation we're each waiting to spot what the existent presumption is.

'I conjecture the rumours suggest that thing is afoot, but I honestly can't clarify due to the fact that I've had nary update nor, arsenic I understand, person my MSP group, truthful I conjecture we'll each perceive definitively 1 mode oregon different this morning.'

Ms Thomson went connected to picture the First Minister arsenic an 'honourable man' who is 'well liked' wrong the SNP Holyrood group.

Scottish archetypal curate Humza Yousaf volition 'quit today' up of the 2 nary assurance votes owed aboriginal this week, acording to the reports.

A elder SNP root has told the Daily Record that Mr Yousaf volition resign contiguous amid the immense unit to unafraid enactment from extracurricular his party.

The latest signifier of the SNP meltdown is apt to person 1 large victor - Keir Starmer, writes MailOnline’s governmental exertion James Tapsfield.

Up until 2015, erstwhile Labour was enactment to the sword by the separatists, it dominated northbound of the border.

But successful 2019 the enactment secured conscionable 2 constituencies.

Sir Keir is hoping a swathe of seats successful Scotland tin assistance bolster his chances of a bulk astatine the wide predetermination - arsenic utilized to beryllium the lawsuit for Tony Blair.

Scottish Labour has already been successful resurgence nether its main Anas Sarwar.

The long-running constabulary probe into the SNP's finances has undoubtedly helped Mr Sarwar claw backmost ground.

The imaginable of a Labour authorities astatine Westminster besides helps, arsenic they go seen arsenic the champion enactment for the beardown anti-Tory ballot successful Scotland.

Labour insiders accidental with each other percent of enactment successful Scotland, much constituencies travel into play arsenic the SNP's margins of triumph were comparatively tiny successful 2019.

The astir apt campaigner helium faced the accidental of converting was Ash Regan, the sole MSP successful Alex Salmond's Alba Party.

Mr Yousaf antecedently described her departure from the SNP successful October past twelvemonth arsenic 'no large loss'.

Ms Regan, a erstwhile SNP enactment rival to Mr Yousaf, wrote to him with a database of priorities implicit the weekend, including 'defending the rights of women and children'. That is thought to mean accepting the results of the Cass review, which criticised sex therapies, successful full.

Alba Party MP Kenny MacAskill told the BBC the enactment is unfastened for 'discussions'.

He said: 'If Humza Yousaf resigns that a idiosyncratic calamity for him, but it's a alternatively absurd concern erstwhile determination is an accidental to get backmost successful the Independence track.

'It is simply a substance for him. He has brought this astir with his ain actions and helium volition basal oregon autumn connected it. The presumption of the Alba Party is rather clear. We are blessed to participate into discussions. It is not a blank cheque. We are not guaranteeing our support.'

The SNP leader, who took implicit from Ms Sturgeon successful March 2023, is facing 2 votes of nary confidence, 1 successful him personally from the Tories and different successful his authorities from Labour.

Excluding the presiding serviceman determination are 128 MSPs successful total, but the SNP lone has 63 votes portion the different absorption parties person 65.

Over the play Mr Yousaf has been exploring options to person 1 of the absorption enactment MSPs to ballot to prevention his government.

If helium managed to get to 64 votes and necktie the vote, the presiding serviceman would backmost the presumption quo, truthful helium would beryllium capable to clasp on.

Veteran Sturgeon state John Swinney is said to person been approached by elder enactment figures to go an interim archetypal curate if Mr Yousaf is forced from office.

Co-leader of the Scottish Green Party Patrick Harvie has said helium 'bears nary idiosyncratic sick will' towards the SNP person but added that helium 'has breached trust' with his party.

He said 'I bash privation to accidental determination is simply a quality interaction to each of this - a quality element. I don't carnivore Humza Yousaf idiosyncratic sick volition oregon malice successful immoderate mode astatine all. I instrumentality nary pleasance astatine each - nary of america successful the Greens bash - successful the turbulence and chaos of the past weel oregon two.

'But it is wide that Humza Yousaf, successful the determination that helium made past week, has breached spot with the Scottish Greens and cannot bid a bulk successful Parliament'.

Follow our Live Blog arsenic we volition beryllium providing unrecorded updates connected the concern successful Holyrood arsenic First Minister Humza Yousaf's governmental vocation hangs by a thread.

The SNP person is poised to spell aft failing to drum up capable enactment to past a assurance vote.

Mr Yousaf has been frantically wooing MSPs implicit the weekend, but appears to person concluded determination is nary mode of surviving.

Allies person been suggesting the SNP person volition not 'do a woody with the devil' by agreeing presumption with Alex Salmond, whose Alba Party perchance holds the equilibrium astatine Holyrood.

Defeat would hazard sparking a drawback predetermination successful Scotland, with the separatists fearing large losses to Labour.

It would beryllium a melodramatic autumn for Mr Yousaf, who took implicit from Nicola Sturgeon hardly a twelvemonth ago.

After helium summarily ditched the Greens from the Bute House conjugation woody - and publically humiliated them by making them bash a locomotion of shame successful presumption of cameras - they pledged to backmost a nary assurance question tabled by the Tories.

It was expected spell to a ballot aboriginal this week.