FIRST Minister Humza Yousaf and Stephen Flynn have been named in a list of the 50 most influential people on the left of politics in the UK.
Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves topped the New Statesman list, one spot above leader Keir Starmer, due to her handling of economic issues.
FM Yousaf comes 13th on the list, above Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who takes the 14th spot.
The rankings noted that his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon frequently found herself in the top five of the list during her time as first minister.
On Yousaf, it reads: “The SNP was hegemonic north of the border and Scottish independence was an insurgent cause.
“But her successor, Yousaf, 38, is a diminished figure.
“A series of SNP scandals have led to a collapse in his party’s poll ratings and have destroyed the campaign for a second independence referendum.
“Nevertheless, as head of the Scottish Government, with control of a £59.7bn budget, and as leader of the UK’s third largest party, Yousaf continues to wield significant formal power.”
The SNP’s Westminster group leader Stephen Flynn (pictured above) appears a bit further down the list at number 26, with the rankings noting that the Aberdeen South MP was first elected in 2019 but took on the leadership role after a “ruthless coup” against Ian Blackford.
“Flynn heads a grouping of 45 MPs and enjoys a guaranteed slot at PMQs,” the rankings said.
“The ambitious 34-year-old is already eyeing his next move – he told the New Statesman last year: ‘Anyone who’s elected for the SNP wants to be in Scotland’s national parliament, which is not in Westminster – it’s in Edinburgh.’
“But he must first work to save his party’s seats in the face of Scottish Labour’s accelerating recovery.”
Flynn is followed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in the 27th spot.
The list is full of Labour politicians, celebrities and campaigners.
Martin Lewis, consumer campaigner and journalist, takes the fourth most influential spot, followed by Gary Lineker.
Sue Gray, Starmer’s incoming chief of staff and chief of the internal partygate probe, took the seventh spot.
Mark Drakeford, Wales Labour First Minister and in the 28th spot, is described as one of the “few Labour politicians who holds genuine power”.
Both former Labour prime ministers Tony Blair, number 16, and Gordon Brown, number 37, were included in the rankings, as is former communications chief Alastair Campbell and Labour’s current director of communications Matthew Doyle.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar does not appear on the list until number 39, one before Campbell.
Novara Media’s Ash Sarkar came in at number 45, while Aaron Bastani, one of the media organisations founders, came in at number 50.
