Timeline: How Humza Yousaf blew up his leadership in 5 days

A week is a long time in politics. For Humza Yousaf, it didn’t even take that long to cut short a once glittering career.

Yousaf — who announced Monday he will resign as leader of Scotland’s devolved government — torpedoed his already-struggling premiership in the space of five days, after he ditched his junior coalition partners without remembering to check they would continue to back him informally in parliament.

His resignation as first minister Monday leaves the pro-independence SNP facing its second leadership election in the space of two years.

POLITICO runs through the whirlwind five days that ended Yousaf’s leadership.

Prologue: The SNP confirms on April 18 that it is watering down several Scottish climate targets, angering activists from the party’s junior coalition partners — the Scottish Greens.

In response, Green Co-Leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater promise members a vote on the party’s ongoing power-sharing arrangement with the SNP, known as the Bute House Agreement after the first minister’s official residence. Despite this, Yousaf insists he will continue to back the continuation of the coalition. Until he doesn’t.

Wednesday night: A tight-knit selection of senior SNP politicians and advisers are informed Yousaf is now set to ditch the Bute House agreement with the Scottish Greens, according to two persons familiar with the talks. The Wings Over Scotland blog reports that Yousaf has called an emergency Cabinet meeting for Thursday morning.

Thursday, 8 a.m: Yousaf meets with Harvie and Slater in his Bute House residence — and tells them he is ending the SNP’s power-sharing agreement with their party. The co-leaders leave Bute House and walk to the Scottish parliament, declining the offer of a ministerial car according to a report in the National newspaper.

Thursday 8.30 a.m: Yousaf tells an emergency meeting of his Cabinet he is ending the Bute House agreement. According to the first minister’s spokesperson, his ministers banged the table in support of the move. A press conference is arranged for 10 a.m.

9.45 a.m. The Greens pre-empt Yousaf’s press conference by holding one of their own. A clearly angry Harvie and Slater tell journalists in Holyrood that Yousaf has “capitulated.”

10 a.m. Yousaf confirms the Bute House agreement is being ditched with immediate effect — and proclaims a “new beginning” for the SNP government. He says he hopes to continue working with the Greens on a more informal basis.

Noon: Scottish Conservatives Leader Douglas Ross announces that his party is lodging a motion of no confidence in Yousaf’s leadership, due to take place the following week. Thanks to the Scottish parliament’s arithmetic, to win it Yousaf will need the votes of either the SNP’s rival pro-independence Alba Party’s single MSP, or the Scottish Greens he just sacked from government.

Scottish Conservative Party Leader Douglas Ross with Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. | Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

5 p.m: The Greens confirm they will vote against Yousaf in the no confidence vote. The Alba Party’s single MSP Ash Regan, an SNP defector, suddenly becomes the most important player in Holyrood — and Alba boss and former First Minister Alex Salmond is handed a whole bag of influence.

9.15 p.m: The Times reports that Yousaf is considering his position as first minister.

Friday, 9.07 a.m: In a letter posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, Regan lays out what it would take for her to back Yousaf in the vote of no confidence, including prioritizing independence and the abandonment of pro-trans policies she quit the SNP over.

9.30 a.m: As rumors swirl about his future, Yousaf cancels a speech planned for later in the day at the University of Strathclyde.

9.57 a.m: Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar — whose party are neck and neck with the SNP in the polls — announces that he too is tabling a no confidence motion. Unlike the Tory one, Sarwar’s motion, if successful, would legally require Yousaf to resign.

11.16 a.m: The Scottish government announces that, instead of the planned speech at the University of Strathclyde, Yousaf will be visiting Dundee in the afternoon to make an announcement on housing.

Humza Yousaf joins members of the public as they attend a march and rally in support for an independent Scotland on April 20, 2024. | Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

1.30 p.m: Yousaf insists he isn’t resigning — and will “fight” attempts to oust him.

3.11 p.m: “I didn’t mean, and I didn’t intend, to make [the Greens] as angry as they clearly are,” Yousaf tells the National newspaper, sparking further ridicule.

5.30 p.m: Any SNP hopes that the Greens may change tack and vote with Yousaf are dealt another blow, after Green lawmaker Gillian Mackay gives a tearful and angry indictment of the under-pressure leader on the BBC.

Saturday, 6.05 p.m: With the Greens not shifting, Alba Leader Salmond tells the Sunday Times that, if Yousaf wants to continue as FM, he must agree to an electoral pact with Alba.

Saturday 6.41 p.m: Summing up many internal SNP views toward the controversial Salmond, the party’s long-serving SNP MP Pete Wishart tweets that “if we were to even think of entertaining [Alba] they would quickly bring us down to their level.”

Sunday, 10 a.m: With Salmond’s ultimatum splashing most of the Scottish papers, BBC Scotland reports that Yousaf will not agree to the ex-leader’s demands.

Sunday, 11 p.m: For the second time in three days, the Times reports that Yousaf may be preparing to quit.

Monday, 10 a.m: Amid widespread indications that Yousaf is set to quit, an SNP official confirms that the first minister will hold a press conference in Bute House at noon.

Noon: Yousaf resigns, conceding that he had “underestimated the level of hurt and upset” that he caused the Scottish Greens — and admitting that a new leader is needed to unite Holyrood and get back to governing Scotland.