Humza Yousaf has won the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the Scottish National party, paving the way for him to become Scotland’s first minister.
The 37-year-old health secretary won 52.1 per cent of the vote of SNP members in the second round of voting, beating Kate Forbes, the finance secretary, who got 47.9 per cent. Ash Regan, the former community safety minister, was eliminated in the first round of voting.
“It is hard for me to find the words to describe just how honoured I am to be entrusted by our membership of the SNP to be the party’s next leader and to be on the cusp of being our country’s first minister,” he said after the result was announced.
He vowed to be the first minister for “all of Scotland” and lead the country towards independence.
“I will aim to lead Scotland in the interest of all of our citizens whatever your political allegiance,” Yousaf said in a speech on Monday.
Yousaf said he was “determined” to deliver independence for Scotland, and called Scotland a “European nation” that would return to the European Union.
The announcement in Edinburgh ended a six-week contest that grew increasingly bitter as the three candidates attacked each other’s records. Yousaf is due to be sworn in as first minister on Wednesday, becoming the first person from an ethnic minority to hold the position, after a parliamentary vote in Holyrood on Tuesday.
This is a developing story
