Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf resigns, setting stage for ...

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has resigned as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and said he has ordered a contest be held to select a replacement.

"I've concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm," Mr Yousaf said at a press conference in Edinburgh.

"I have therefore informed the SNP's national secretary of my intention to stand down as party leader and ask that she commences a leadership contest for my replacement as soon as possible."

He said he would continue as first minister until a successor has been elected.

Humza Yousaf will stay on as first minister until a replacement is found.(Reuters: Andrew Milligan)

The resignation further opens the door to the UK opposition Labour Party to regain ground in its former Scottish heartlands in a national election expected later this year.

Mr Yousaf quit as head of the pro-independence SNP after a week of chaos triggered by his scrapping of a coalition agreement with Scotland's Greens after a row over climate change targets.

He then failed to secure enough support to survive votes of no confidence against him expected later this week.

Resigning a little over a year after he replaced Nicola Sturgeon as first minister and SNP leader, Mr Yousaf said it was time for someone else to lead Scotland's devolved government.

The SNP's fortunes have faltered over a funding scandal and the resignation of Ms Sturgeon as party leader last year. There has also been infighting over how progressive its pitch should be as it seeks to woo back voters.

Caught between defending the progressive record of the coalition government and some nationalists' demands to jettison gender recognition reforms and refocus on the economy, Mr Yousaf was unable to strike a balance that would ensure his survival.

Humza Yousaf  replaced Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland's first minister last year.(Andrew Milligan via Reuters)

The SNP is losing popular support after 17 years of heading the Scottish government. Earlier this month, polling firm YouGov said the Labour Party had overtaken the SNP in voting intentions for a Westminster election for the first time in a decade.

Labour's resurgence in Scotland adds to the challenge facing British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party which is lagging far behind Labour in UK-wide opinion polls.

The Scottish parliament now has 28 days to choose a new first minister before an election is forced, with former SNP leader John Swinney and Mr Yousaf's former leadership rival Kate Forbes seen as possible successors.

If the SNP is unable to find a new leader to command support in parliament, a Scottish election will be held.

Mr Yousaf, the first Muslim head of government in modern Western Europe, succeeded Ms Sturgeon as first minister in March 2023.

Once hugely popular, Ms Sturgeon has been embroiled in a party funding scandal with her husband, who was charged this month with embezzling funds. Both deny wrongdoing.

Reuters