Humza Yousaf

First Minister of Scotland from 2023 to 2024

Humza Haroon Yousaf (/ˈhʌmzə ˈjʊsəf/;[1] born 7 April 1985) is a Scottish politician. He was the leader of the Scottish National Party and the First Minister of Scotland from March 2023 to May 2024. He announced his resignation from both positions in April 2024.[2][3][4]


Humza Yousaf

Official portrait, 2023
First Minister of Scotland
In office
29 March 2023 – 7 May 2024
MonarchCharles III
DeputyShona Robison
Preceded byNicola Sturgeon
Succeeded byJohn Swinney
Leader of the Scottish National Party
In office
27 March 2023 – 6 May 2024
DeputeKeith Brown
Preceded byNicola Sturgeon
Succeeded byJohn Swinney
Ministerial offices
(2012–2023)
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
In office
20 May 2021 – 28 March 2023
First MinisterNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byJeane Freeman
Succeeded byMichael Matheson
Cabinet Secretary for Justice
In office
26 June 2018 – 20 May 2021
First MinisterNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byMichael Matheson
Succeeded byKeith Brown
Minister for Transport and the Islands
In office
18 May 2016 – 26 June 2018
First MinisterNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byDerek Mackay
Succeeded byPaul Wheelhouse
Minister for Europe and International Development[a]
In office
6 September 2012 – 18 May 2016
First Minister
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byAlasdair Allan
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Glasgow Pollok
Assumed office
5 May 2016
Preceded byJohann Lamont
Majority7,105 (21.0%)
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Glasgow
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
In office
5 May 2011 – 5 May 2016
Personal details
Born
Humza Haroon Yousaf

(1985-04-07) 7 April 1985 (age 39)
Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland
Political partyScottish National Party
Spouse(s)
Gail Lythgoe
(m. 2010; div. 2017)
(m. 2019)
Children1
ResidenceBute House
EducationHutchesons' Grammar School
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow
Websitehumzayousaf.scot
First Minister of Scotland

Career

change

He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament since 2016, representing Glasgow Pollok. In 2021, he became health secretary during the COVID-19 pandemic and was responsible for the NHS' recovery and roll out of the vaccination programme.

In 2023, he was one of the three candidates hoping to replace Nicola Sturgeon as the First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP. On the 27 March 2023, it was announced he had won the leadership race. On 29 March 2023 he was confirmed as the First Minister of Scotland.

Yousaf was the first Scottish Asian and Muslim to serve as First Minister. He was also the youngest person to be First Minister.[5][6]

On 29 April 2024, Yousaf announced that he was resigning as leader of the SNP and Scottish First Minister.[2][3][4]

Personal life

change

Yousaf was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 7 April 1985.[7] He is the son of Pakistani parents.[8]

Yousaf was married to former SNP worker Gail Lythgoe from 2010 to 2016.[9][10] In 2019, he married psychotherapist Nadia El-Nakla from Dundee. He has two children with her.[11] In November 2019, Yousaf discovered text messages sent to El-Nakla by Craig Melville, an SNP councillor, with whom she was having a sexual affair, after using software to recover messages sent to her phone. The couple eventually filed for divorce however they later reconciled after Yousaf forgave her.[12][13][14][15]

  1. External Affairs and International Development (2012–14)

References

change
  1. "Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, visit to University Hospital Monklands". YouTube. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "SNP leader Humza Yousaf resigns as Scotland's first minister". BBC News. 28 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Humza Yousaf resigns as Scotland's first minister". Sky News. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Humza Yousaf quits as Scotland's first minister". www.ft.com. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  5. "Humza Yousaf confirmed as Scotland's new first minister". BBC News. 2023-03-28. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  6. "Humza Yousaf elected by MSPs as Scotland's new first minister". Sky News. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  7. "Humza Yousaf MSP | PrideOfPakistan.com". Pride of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  8. "Who is Humza Yousaf, the Punjabi-origin Scottish politician in the race for the top job?". The Indian Express. 2023-02-23. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  9. "SNP activist caught up in 'fake leaflet' row". The Scotsman. 17 April 2012. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  10. McLaughlin, Mark (4 October 2019). "Journey of discovery: interview with Humza Yousaf". Holyrood Website. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  11. Malik, Paul (14 October 2019). "Dundee case worker married to justice secretary shares heartbreak after three miscarriages". The Courier. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  12. Moncur, James (2018-01-26). "Husband of love-rat politician had no answers over SNP councillor racist texts". Daily Record. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  13. "REVEALED: The anti-Muslim texts sent to former lover that 'ended the career' of ex Dundee councillor Craig Melville". 17 March 2018.
  14. "Former Dundee SNP councillor sent racist texts". BBC News. 15 March 2018.
  15. https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/ex-snp-councillor-fined-after-sending-racist-texts-to-muslim-lover-1425848