Humza Yousaf ,Ash Regan launch bids to become SNP leader

• Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan have declared their candidature to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP.
• With Neil Gray, Mairi McAllan, and Justice Secretary Keith Brown disqualified.
• Keith Brown will not stand for the job, and Neil Gray is being suggested as the next first minister.

Humza Yousaf, the first minister of Scotland, and Ash Regan, a former minister, have said they will run to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP.

The two are the first to declare their candidature after doing so in the Sunday Mail.

Neil Gray, Mairi McAllan, and Justice Secretary Keith Brown have all disqualified themselves.

On March 27, the race’s winner is scheduled to be declared.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson are two further candidates who are expected to run.

In announcing his bid for the SNP leadership in the Scottish newspaper, Mr. Yousaf claims to have experienced a “rollercoaster of emotions” in the wake of the long-serving first minister and SNP leader Ms. Sturgeon’s shocking resignation announcement on Wednesday, which came after eight years in office.

He says: “You’ve got to put yourself forward if you think you’re the best person for the job. And I do. This is the top job in the country, and it needs somebody who has experience.”

Mr. Yousaf, who first became an MSP in 2011, has been a prominent figure on the SNP frontbenches in every Scottish administration since and has been considered a strong leadership candidate for many years.

But the 37-year-old’s time as justice minister saw him bogged down in controversy surrounding the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill – which faced backlash over its impact on freedom of expression.

He has also been criticized for his running of the NHS in Scotland, which experienced the hardest winter in its history in recent months.

Ms. Sturgeon has faced repeated calls from opposition parties to sack Mr. Yousaf, with waiting times at record highs and doctors warning that the country’s hospitals are not safe for patients.

On Friday, Mr. Yousaf pointed to the record pay offer he made to NHS staff, which he said was likely to avoid strike action for the next financial year.

For her part, Ms. Regan tells media the SNP “need to bring back unity, draw a line under certain things and move past them”, adding her belief that she is “the person to do that”.

This statement refers to her opinions regarding the contentious Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was later blocked by the Westminster government and was the SNP’s proposed changes to how people can change their legal gender in Scotland.

The SNP’s former minister for community safety resigned in protest before it was passed by a majority in Holyrood, and he afterwards turned into a vocal opponent of the law.

Meanwhile Keith Brown, who is depute leader of the SNP, said he would not be standing for the job.

In a post on Twitter he said: “I have come to the conclusion that, as depute leader, I can best serve the interests of the SNP by supporting the party through the forthcoming process, and providing a degree of continuity as we come to terms with Nicola’s resignation.”

He said he would not publicly endorse any candidate and appealed for SNP members to take part in a “robust but respectful” contest.

The suggestion that Neil Gray be the next first minister to follow Nicola Sturgeon was described as “very gratifying” by the minister of culture, Europe, and international development.

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