Humza Yousaf has promised to unite warring factions in the SNP if he becomes new party leader and First Minister. In an exclusive interview, the health secretary announced his intention to replace his mentor Nicola Sturgeon.
He said: “This is the top job in the country, and it needs somebody who has experience. I’ve had the toughest jobs in government over the last 10 years – Transport Minister, Justice Secretary, Health Secretary in the midst of a global pandemic. We need somebody with experience. One of my strengths is reaching across the divide to bring people together.”
As members of Scotland’s most powerful political force fight over a series of issues including gender reform and a second independence referendum, Yousaf said being from an ethnic minority has inspired him to fight harder for people’s rights and fairness. And that’s why he will challenge the UK Government over Scotland’s gender reform laws if he becomes First Minister.
Yousaf said: “I am firmly committed to equality for everybody, because your rights are my rights regardless of who you are. My starting point is that I’ve been a minority in this country for my whole life. I have understood that you have to fight for your rights but my rights don’t exist in a vacuum or an isolation. They only exist because other people’s rights exist too.
“The second important principle is that, regardless of whether you agree with the Gender Recognition Reform Bill or not, this overreach by the UK Government is something that we need to defend against. They are overreaching for sure and if they can do it for the GRR Bill they could do it for any other bill we decide to pass as a majority.”
The dad of two, who at 26 years old was the youngest MSP after 2011 Holyrood election said launching his bid to become leader wasn’t an automatic decision. Speaking from his home in Dundee, the 37-year-old said: “The last few days have been a real roller coaster of emotions and I’ve thought hard about it.
“There were factors that were frankly putting me off, predominantly with my family. I’ve got two young kids that are at crucial stages of their lives – one at three and one at 13, who is going into an exceptionally important year in high school, she’s choosing her subjects.
"That was pulling me back but then I was given some advice by one of my parliamentary colleagues who said you’ve got to put yourself forward if you think you’re the best person for the job. And I do.”
On his time as health secretary and the crisis in the NHS, Yousaf said he had faced one of the “toughest jobs” in government by leading the health service “in the midst of a global pandemic”. And he insisted he was not the “continuity candidate” for outgoing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and was determined to be his own person – despite promising to continue many of her policies.
The Glasgow Pollok MSP said: “I have the deepest respect and affection for Nicola Sturgeon. She’s not just been my party leader for the last eight years, she’s been a friend of mine for more than 15.
“I have only admiration for her, but she also said it was time for new faces, fresh ideas. People know me as Health Secretary, Justice Secretary, the Transport Minister, the politician.
"They don’t know who I am as a person and I want to try to bring that forward. For all the exceptional qualities Nicola Sturgeon has, I am also different to her in many ways and hopefully that comes out during the campaign.”
Yousaf is believed to have the backing of several high-profile SNP heavyweights including John Swinney and Ian Blackford. He said he has a full plan for achieving another independence referendum for Scotland but said he did not believe a de-facto referendum via a snap Holyrood election was the solution.
The politician wants to “grow support” for independence before deciding on the exact mechanism for another constitutional vote.
He said: “Our opponents are desperate for us to continue to talk about process, I really want us to talk about policy. Let’s get back to the basics of growing our support for independence and talking about the policies.”
A proposed special conference due to be held by the SNP on March 19 has been delayed to allow for the election of a new leader. Yousaf said he wants a tour of the country, rather than a single event, to gather opinions about the timing of another referendum.
He said: “Let’s not do just one special conference and make a decision on that day, let’s take the conversation across the country and listen to people on how we make progress.”
As a former Transport Minister, the MSP said he was in support of the recent decision to delay the dualling of the A9. The Scottish Government has had a longstanding pledge to dual the remaining 80 miles of the A9 road by 2025 but admitted the project would be delayed after receiving just one tender for the work.
He said: “It’s really important that we get value for money but that’s not to dismiss people’s concerns about the delays in the project.”
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