Humza Yousaf

Humza Yousaf in 2023

Humza Haroon Yousaf (born 7 April 1985) is a Scottish politician who has served as the First Minister of Scotland from 29 March 2023 and is a member of the Scottish National Party. He formally resigned as First Minister in May 2024 after announcing his resignation as SNP leader late in April.

Quotes

• at 99 per cent of the meetings I go to, I am the only non-White person in the room. But why are we so surprised when the most senior positions in Scotland are filled almost exclusively by those who are White? Take my portfolio alone. The Lord President, White. The Lord Justice Clerk, White. Every High Court judge, White. The Lord Advocate, White. The Solicitor General, White. The chief constable, White. Every deputy chief constable, White. Every assistant chief constable, White. The head of the Law Society, White. The head of the Faculty of Advocates, White. Every prison governor, White. And not just justice. The chief medical officer, White. The chief nursing officer, White. The chief veterinary officer, White. The chief social work adviser, White. Almost every trade union in this country, headed by people who are White. In the Scottish Government, every director general is White. Every chair of every public body is White. That is not good enough.
  • 10 June 2020.

• You haven't managed to ever get elected to the Scottish Parliament like me.
  And I suspect the voters of Scotland will show you the cat flap again come May 6.
  When you are shown the door, please take your race-baiting "You're not a Celt like me" mince with you.
  • Tweet responding to George Galloway, as cited in "Humza Yousaf hits back at George Galloway's 'race-baiting' comments", The Standard (18 March 2021).
  • Galloway had tweeted in part: "Well #Humza you’re not more Scottish than me. You're not a Celt like me." At the 2021 Scottish Parliament election on 6 May, Galloway was a candidate for All for Unity. A4U gained no seats, and was soon wound up.

• Let me be clear: Scotland is ready to play her part. Our hospitals will treat the injured men, women and children of Gaza where we can.
  • Cited in "Scotland says it is ready to accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza", The Jerusalem Post (19 October 2023).

• I think political leaders should stop beating around the bush, should call what they’re seeing in Gaza. We are seeing not only a humanitarian crisis, but also seeing senior members of the Netanyahu government making statements that are frankly the textbook definition of ethnic cleansing. And that should be condemned in the strongest possible manner.
  • Cited in "Scottish leader says Israeli comments on Gaza amount to ‘ethnic cleansing’", Al Jazeera (6 January 2024).

• I was born in Scotland, raised in Scotland, educated in Scotland, just welcomed my third child here in Scotland. Was leader of the Scottish government for just over a year, leader of the Scottish National Party.
  You cut me open and I'm about as Scottish as they come but the truth of the matter is I don't know whether the future for me, and my wife and three children is going to be here in Scotland, the United Kingdom or indeed in Europe and the west.
  We are now seeing the culmination of not years, actually decades of anti-migrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric being normalised in our political discourse now playing out in the most violent way possible.
  • Speaking on the News Agents podcast, as cited in "Humza Yousaf questions future in UK after riots", BBC News (6 August 2024).
  • During the 2024 United Kingdom riots caused by anti-migrant and anti-Muslim sentiments from the far-right.