Time magazine raises eyebrows with Humza Yousaf cover

The magazine names Humza Yusuf among its «rising stars»; as the first First Minister from an ethnic minority background

Humza Yousaf may have had a nightmare start to his tenure as First Minister due to Nicola Sturgeon's arrest and declining support for the Scottish National Party in opinion polls.

< p>But Time magazine put Mr. Yusuf on its cover, praising him as one of the «future-shaping pioneers» of a new generation.

A new US magazine title calls him «the new face of Scotland» and lists the 38-year-old as one of its «rising stars», noting that he is the first person from an ethnic minority to hold the position.

Other «leaders of the new generation» mentioned in the magazine were actress Florence Pugh, racing driver Jamie Chadwick, drag queen Patti Gonia and Ghanaian artist Prince Gyasi.

The Time cover photo is a major publicity stunt for the First Minister as his profile outside Scotland is much lower than Ms Sturgeon's.

However, the magazine's choice for the cover raised eyebrows in the Scottish Parliament, particularly as he emerged just hours before Labour's expected victory in his first electoral test as leader of the Scottish National Party.

Bellwether by-election

Labor Party insiders were extremely confident. victory in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-elections early on Friday morning, overturning the Scottish National Party's 5,230-vote majority in the 2019 general election.

The fight is seen as a key indicator of Labor's hopes of a major return to Scotland in general election next year, with opinion polls suggesting the era of Scottish National Party dominance is over.

Speculation has already begun that Mr Yousaf could be ousted if the nationalists survive a terrible Westminster election, in the hope that his successor can turn around the SNP's fortunes before the Holyrood elections in 2026.

On the cover of Time g Mr. Yousaf tweeted:

Being the first Muslim to lead a Western country means a lot to me. I hope this will also inspire others, especially when some portray multiculturalism as a weakness.

I am proud that in Scotland we are a welcoming nation & our diversity is seen as one of our greatest strengths. https://t.co/bpQDhKEk3L

— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) October 5, 2023

But Jamie Halcro Johnston, a Scottish Conservative MP, ridiculed the decision, saying:

Given the civil war in his party and the poor record of his government, Humza Yusuf will be lucky to even become the next election leader of the Scottish National Party. https://t.co/aXYNP8r0WL

— Jamie Halcro Johnston MSP (@jhalcrojohnston) October 5, 2023

In an accompanying article billed as his first major interview with foreign media, Mr Yousaf appeared to blame the furor caused by the police investigation into the SNP's finances for the stagnation of support for independence.

“The way we move the dial on independence is to give people a little hope and I believe the SNP is well placed to do that,” he said.

Ms Sturgeon, her husband Peter Murrell, a former member of the Scottish National Party the chief executive and Colin Beattie, the party's former treasurer, were arrested and released without charge pending further investigation into the SNP's finances. She denies any wrongdoing.

Mr Yousaf admitted he had to «work hard» between the Westminster and Holyrood elections to ensure the SNP remained in power in the face of a resurgent Labor Party.

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“I think we have work to do over these 12 to 15 months to make sure we earn the trust of the people of Scotland again,” he said.

Mr Yousaf was nominated by Leo Varadkar, the Irish Prime Minister, for Time's Next 100, who described him as a «young, energetic leader» who serves the Scottish people «with the passion and dedication they deserve» .