Humza Yousaf

Having announced that he would not stand again, Yousaf ceased to be MSP for Glasgow Pollok on 8 April 2026. His parliamentary career thus ended after fifteen years at Holyrood.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

In a speech at Holyrood on structural racism, Yousaf listed numerous positions of power held by white people and denounced the under-representation of minorities. Extracts were subsequently widely circulated to accuse him of hostility towards white people.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

While Health Secretary Michael Matheson faced pressure over a roaming bill of nearly £11 000 initially charged to Parliament, Yousaf defended him as a "man of integrity" and maintained that he had not been misled, despite successive revelations about family use of the iPad. Matheson eventually resigned.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Before the UK Covid Inquiry, Yousaf offered an unreserved apology for the Scottish government's failures to provide relevant WhatsApp messages. The inquiry also examined deletion practices and decision-making in small groups whose discussions were not systematically documented.

State of the evidence

Documented

The Scottish government awarded £250 000 to UNRWA while Yousaf's parents-in-law were trapped in Gaza. Opponents alleged that the decision had circumvented a recommendation by civil servants and might constitute a conflict of interest, particularly because his relatives left Gaza shortly afterwards.

Attribution

Political responsibility

Online posts claimed that Yousaf had personally awarded £200 000 to the Al-Mahdi Islamic Centre in Glasgow. Reuters Fact Check concluded that there was no evidence supporting the claim and that the funding cited related to decisions made over several years.

Attribution

Personally implicated

When the legislation sponsored by Yousaf as Justice Secretary came into force, Police Scotland received approximately 3 800 reports within days. The flood of complaints, many of them clearly polemical or vexatious, renewed criticism concerning freedom of expression and the use of police resources.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Yousaf's government abandoned its flagship statutory target of reducing emissions by 75% by 2030 after the Climate Change Committee deemed it not credible because of insufficient progress. The decision triggered a crisis with the Scottish Greens.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Yousaf unilaterally ended the governing agreement with the Scottish Greens and dismissed their ministers, believing he could continue with a minority government. The Greens described the decision as a betrayal and announced that they no longer trusted him, triggering no-confidence motions.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

A few days after breaking the agreement with the Greens, Yousaf announced his resignation rather than risk losing a confidence vote. He acknowledged having underestimated the anger caused by his decision.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

During the 2023 SNP leadership contest, Alex Salmond and Alex Neil claimed that Yousaf had arranged to miss the final 2014 vote on same-sex marriage because of religious pressure. Yousaf had supported the legislation at an earlier stage but had not participated in the final vote.

State of the evidence

Disputed

Attribution

Political responsibility

Yousaf and his wife accused a Dundee nursery of refusing their daughter a place while accepting fictitious applications bearing Western-sounding names. The Care Inspectorate subsequently found that the service did not adequately promote fairness, equality and respect. The civil action was eventually dropped in 2023.

Attribution

Protagonist is the complainant

The number of patients awaiting diagnosis or treatment rose sharply during Yousaf's tenure as Health Secretary, and several targets for reducing long waits were missed. The opposition used these figures to criticise his record during the SNP leadership contest.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Victims and elected representatives criticised Yousaf, as Health Secretary and later First Minister, for not launching a public inquiry into surgeon Sam Eljamel sooner. In June 2023, he was still defending an approach that might provide answers more quickly; in September, following new evidence, his government finally announced an independent public inquiry.

State of the evidence

Documented

A few weeks after becoming First Minister, Yousaf decided to challenge in court Westminster's unprecedented use of Section 35 powers to block Scotland's gender recognition reform. The decision triggered a constitutional confrontation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The Court of Session ruled that the UK government's veto of Scotland's gender recognition reform was lawful. Yousaf's government subsequently decided not to pursue the legal action further.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Directly implicated

Yousaf's proposal to use the general election as a new mandate to negotiate independence was deemed confusing by some activists and challenged by several SNP representatives. In October, he accepted a compromise requiring a majority of Scottish seats rather than merely being the largest party.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Yousaf announced a council tax freeze at the SNP conference without first consulting local authority leaders and informing his Scottish Green partners only shortly before the announcement, despite a no-surprises clause in the Bute House Agreement.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

As Justice Secretary, Yousaf championed Scottish hate crime reform, including new offences of "stirring up hatred". The legislation attracted strong criticism from lawyers, artists, religious groups and freedom of expression advocates before its adoption in 2021.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Shortly after becoming Health Secretary, Yousaf stated that ten children under nine had been hospitalised "because of Covid". The figures actually included children who had tested positive but were hospitalised for other reasons, and the UK Statistics Authority criticised the presentation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

A few months after his appointment as Transport Minister, Yousaf faced considerable parliamentary pressure over ScotRail's delays, cancellations and performance. He apologised to passengers and demanded an improvement plan from the operator.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Yousaf was stopped while driving a friend's car without being insured to drive that vehicle. He did not contest the offence and received a £300 fine and six penalty points on his driving licence.

State of the evidence

Admitted by the person

Attribution

Personally implicated