Humza Yousaf, the first Muslim leader of a western European country, has resigned as Scotland's First Minister after facing the prospect of defeat in two confidence votes.
Speaking at a hastily-arranged press conference at Bute House in Edinburgh on Monday, Mr Yousaf said he had informed his party's national secretary of his intention to step down and requested the commencement of a leadership contest for his replacement as soon as possible.
He plans to stay on as First Minister until a successor is elected.
Reflecting on his time as leader, he said: “As a young boy born and raised in Scotland I could never have dreamt that one day I would have the privilege of leading my country.
“People who looked like me were not in positions of political influence, let alone leading governments when I was younger.
“We now live in a UK which has a British Hindu Prime Minister, a Muslim Mayor of London, a black Welsh First Minister, and for a little longer, a Scots Asian First Minister of this country.”
He added: “So for those to decry that multiculturalism has failed across the UK, I would suggest the evidence is quite to the contrary. And that is something we should all celebrate.”
A Glasgow-born son of immigrants from Pakistan and Kenya, Mr Yousaf was the first person from a minority ethnic background to become the First Minister of Scotland.
The nation took the leader to its heart after his repeated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, where members of his wife's family became trapped in the early weeks of the conflict after Israel's retaliation against Hamas following the October 7 attack.
But about a year and a month to the day after being sworn in wearing his Pakistani salwar kameez in the Scottish Parliament, and just months after Time Magazine described him a “trailblazer” and part of the “next generation [of] leaders”, he has now stepped down.
The move followed an abrupt end to a power-sharing agreement between his Scottish National Party and the Green Party last week, which ended with slim hopes that Mr Yousaf could lead a minority government.
That precipitated two motions of no confidence – one from Scottish Labour against the whole Scottish government, with another from the Conservatives, specifically about Mr Yousaf.
The pro-independence SNP's fortunes have faltered amid a police investigation into its finances and the resignation of former leader Nicola Sturgeon last year, as well as infighting over how progressive its pitch should be as it seeks to woo back voters.
Just days ago, Mr Yousaf said he was “quite confident” that he could win the confidence vote called by political opponents.
However, by the weekend, his offer of talks with other parties to try to shore up his minority government appeared to be faltering.
Mr Yousaf told the press conference that ending the Bute House agreement with the Greens was the “right decision” but he had “underestimated the level of hurt and upset” it had caused.
“While a route through this week's motion of no confidence was absolutely possible, I am not willing to trade my values and principles, or do deals with whomever, simply for retaining power,” he said.
With his voice at times cracking with emotion, Mr Yousaf paid tribute to his “wonderful wife and beautiful children”, and vowed to continue his role of championing the voices of “those who are not often heard”.
“I've often said that as a minority myself, my rights don't exist in a vacuum, they are only protected because the rights of everyone are protected.
“And from the backbenches of the Scottish Parliament, I will continue to champion the rights and the voices of those who are not often heard, be that at home, or indeed overseas, such as those suffering and continuing to suffer the most horrific humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as the world watches on.”
He said he was confident that Scotland would one day win its independence from the UK, adding that “the last few miles of the marathon are always the hardest”.
Scotland's Humza Yousaf through the years – in pictures
Former deputy first minister John Swinney said Humza Yousaf was a “pioneer”.
Mr Swinney, who is thought to be a leadership contender, said: “Humza Yousaf has been a pioneer, the first person of colour to hold office as First Minister. He has given principled and empathetic leadership to our country and has worked tirelessly to bring people together.”
The Scottish Greens said Humza Yousaf's resignation as First Minister was the “right” decision.
The party's co-leader Patrick Harvie said the development was “regrettable” but welcomed the “personal responsibility” Mr Yousaf has taken.
He said: “Humza Yousaf is right to resign. His position was no longer tenable after he broke the bonds of trust with the Scottish Greens and with everyone who wanted a stable, progressive, pro-independence government. It is regrettable that it has ended this way, it didn't need to. We draw no satisfaction or pleasure from this.
“But the Scottish Greens could no longer have confidence in Humza Yousaf after he chose to unilaterally end the Bute House Agreement. In doing so he let down the large majority of Scottish Green and SNP members who approved the agreement who wanted it to work.”
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack also said Humza Yousaf made the right decision to resign.
Mr Jack said: “It was the right thing for the First Minister to resign.
“Humza Yousaf's leadership has lurched from crisis to crisis from the very start, and he could not command the confidence of the Scottish Parliament.
“Scotland now needs a stable, functioning Scottish Government focused on the issues that matter most to people – fixing public services and growing the economy.”
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In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
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It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
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Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
TUESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 2pm:
Elina Svitolina (UKR) [3] v Jennifer Brady (USA)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) v Belinda Bencic (SUI [4]
Not before 7pm:
Sofia Kenin (USA) [5] v Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
Maria Sakkari (GRE) v Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) [7]
Court One
Starting at midday:
Karolina Muchova (CZE) v Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)
Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) v Dayana Yastermska (UKR)
Petra Martic (CRO) [8] v Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) v Anett Kontaveit (EST)
THE SPECS
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
