Humza Yousaf faces some
enormous challenges as he takes over from Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and
Scotland's first minister.
Being the leader of a divided
nation and a divided party is difficult.
The narrow nature of his victory
does not make it any easier.
In his acceptance speech, he
acknowledged the "bruising" nature of the leadership campaign and
called for divisions to be healed quickly.
To some extent that will depend on
what he decides to do next.
- How
will Scotland's new first minister be appointed?
- Humza
Yousaf succeeds Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader
- Who
is Humza Yousaf, the new SNP leader?
He will need to consider carefully
whether he wants to give his defeated rivals jobs in government and if so which
posts to offer.
One of his supporters told me to
expect a "generosity of spirit".
Having defeated Kate Forbes by 52%
to 48% she enjoys a substantial following in the party.
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
Image caption,
Might he want to recognise that
with a very big job? If so, the most obvious upgrade from her current role as
finance and economy secretary would be to deputy first minister.
That's not a prediction. Just an
observation. I expect that whatever she might be offered, Kate Forbes would
want a fair amount of autonomy if she is to continue in government.
If he can reach an agreement with
her, that could go some way to easing tensions.
Then of course there are
significant policy issues to be addressed. Not least the Scottish government's
response to the UK
blocking the gender recognition reform bill.
At the start of the leadership
contest Humza Yousaf seemed committed to challenging that position in court.
More recently, he has left a little more room for manoeuvre by saying he would
be guided by the legal advice he receives.
While his power-sharing partners
in the Greens will be looking for a robust approach, that could risk prolonging
divisions in his own party. Careful handling is required.
Humza Yousaf noted in his
acceptance speech that delivering independence is the shared goal that unites
the SNP.
While that is substantially true,
it may not be the only factor. It seems to me electoral success and the strong
leadership of Alex Salmond and then Nicola Sturgeon have also had a binding
effect.
It is not yet clear whether Humza
Yousaf can maintain their grip.
IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
Image caption,
Humza Yousaf is the current health
secretary
His approach to the independence
question will also be important.
While he has distanced himself
from the idea of using the next election as a substitute referendum, he has
promised to renew calls for the UK government to give Holyrood the power to
hold a vote.
That may help to underline his
commitment to the cause but it is not likely to alter Rishi Sunak's response,
which has been to reject indyref2.
He also risks sending out a mixed
message to the wider Scottish public.
Humza Yousaf has promised to be a
first minister for everyone in Scotland and to earn the trust and respect of
those who are not persuaded on independence by governing well and focusing on
shared priorities.
If the first thing he does is to
formally demand another independence referendum, he may struggle to convince
some that he is serious about those commitments.
He has said dealing with cost of
living pressures and NHS recovery will be his first concerns.
These are another two massive
challenges that suggest the new first minister's honeymoon period in office, if
he gets one, may be particularly short.
Profile:
The SNP's new leader Humza Yousaf
After being voted leader of the
Scottish National Party, we ask - who is Humza Yousaf?
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