The SNP leader has been asked to reflect on the failures that led to defeat this week in Rutherglen and Hamilton West. Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA
Humza Yousaf needs to consider breaking up the Scottish National Party's coalition agreement with the Greens after last week's by-election disaster, ally Kate Forbes said after he blamed the defeat on a police investigation into the party's finances. Michelle Thomson said The First Minister needs to take a “fresh look” at his power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens after the Scottish National Party suffered defeats in by-elections in Rutherglen and Hamilton West.
p>The Falkirk East MP, who was Ms Forbes' campaign manager during the recent SNP leadership contest, questioned the popularity of the agreement and called for a review of SNP policies and messaging.
In an apparent attack on the series' environmental policies, led by Mr Yousaf's government, she said there now needed to be a “relentless focus” on helping Scots overcome the cost of living crisis.
Her intervention came after Mr Yousaf admitted the SNP knew they were unlikely to win a by-election after voters on the doorstep continued to raise the issue of a police investigation into the SNP's finances.
Letter to Sunday Mail, The First The minister said the issue had been raised “time and time again” with voters. He also blamed the by-election for being engineered by Margaret Ferrier, a former Scottish National Party MP who was suspended for serious breaches of Covid-19 rules.
But his analysis appears to have put him on a collision course with Stephen Flynn, the leader of the Scottish National Party at Westminster, who warned him on Friday against blaming the defeat entirely on factors beyond his control.
While Mr Flynn did not directly criticize Mr Yousaf, he warned the SNP could not continue with “business as usual” and called on the First Minister to use the party conference in Aberdeen next weekend to “reaffirm” why the public should vote for them.
The by-election was Mr Yousaf's first major test at the ballot box since he replaced Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and First Minister in March, but party insiders have already suggested he will be replaced before the Holyrood elections in 2026.
' We still have work to do.” Alex Salmond said Yousaf has “days to save his position as First Minister” after a disastrous result that would have left the SNP with just six MPs if the same swing had been seen across the country. country at next year's general election.
Ms Thomson told BBC Scotland's Sunday show that Mr Yousaf should remain leader, but added: “I do make a caveat, and I have said this before, that we need to look at our policies, we need to look at the proposal and we need to look at the communications.
“We must speak on behalf of the people of Scotland. We still have a long way to go to accept the results of the by-election.”
She said public perception was that Mr Yousaf's political agenda was “not working for the people” and that change was needed. .
When asked whether the coalition agreement with the Greens should be broken, she replied: “That’s a good question. I hope the review will take a fresh look at the Greens deal – I'm not sure how popular it is.”
Craig Hoy, the Scottish Tory chairman, said: “Michel Thomson is just the latest senior Scottish National Party figure to call on Humza Yousafa should reconsider her toxic and destructive partnership with the extremist Greens.
“She, like the rest of the country, sees the deeply destructive impact that Patrick Harvey and Lorna Slater are having on Scotland.”
A Scottish Greens spokesman said: “Having a professional independent majority in Scotland parliament means we can challenge the appalling, planet-destroying decisions we are seeing from politicians in Westminster.”
A spokesman for the Scottish National Party said: “The Bute House Agreement, which was supported by party members, allows We can overcome political differences and build a better Scotland by taking action and showing the leadership needed to tackle the climate crisis and end poverty.”
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