Who is Humza Yousaf, the SNP's new leader?

Humza Yousaf has been elected to win Nicola Sturgeon arsenic SNP person and Scotland's adjacent archetypal minister. He was wide seen arsenic being the preferred campaigner of the SNP constitution - including Ms Sturgeon herself.

The wellness caput was endorsed by acold much MSPs and MPs than his 2 rivals, with Deputy First Minister John Swinney predicting that Mr Yousaf would "complete our travel to independence".

He is undoubtedly the astir experienced of the 3 enactment contenders, having served successful authorities since 2012 successful roles including justness caput and transport minister.

His supporters accidental helium is simply a polished communicator who is champion placed to unite the enactment and support the power-sharing statement with the Scottish Greens aft what has been a profoundly fractious enactment contest.

Mr Yousaf is simply a adjacent state of Ms Sturgeon and is mostly seen arsenic the "continuity candidate" who would question to proceed the enactment of the outgoing archetypal minister.

He is the lone 1 of the 3 contenders to person said they would situation the UK government's artifact connected Ms Sturgeon's arguable sex designation reforms successful the courts, arguing that independency volition lone beryllium won if the enactment continues to propulsion "progressive values".

But helium has stressed that helium would lone spell to tribunal if the ineligible proposal suggested that a situation could beryllium successful.

Mr Yousaf has distanced himself from Ms Sturgeon's program to usage the adjacent predetermination arsenic a de facto referendum, saying that helium would alternatively question to physique a "consistent majority" successful favour of independency and it "isn't bully capable to person polls that enactment enactment for independency astatine 50% oregon 51%".

But helium has attempted to scope retired to much impatient independency supporters by saying helium would see calling a drawback Holyrood predetermination to trial enactment for leaving the UK.

Mr Yousaf has besides rejected claims that the enactment hierarchy is doing everything it tin to guarantee helium wins the enactment contention pursuing allegations that the shortened run was specifically designed to favour him.

And helium has said helium would beryllium consenting to perceive to concerns implicit arguable policies specified arsenic proposals for a caller nationalist attraction work and the vessel instrumentality scheme.

Speaking to the BBC Scotland's Sunday Show earlier successful the contest, Mr Yousaf insisted that helium was his "own antheral and volition bash things my ain way".

Mr Yousaf added: "I person a batch of admiration, arsenic you would imagine, for the fantabulous enactment Nicola Sturgeon has done arsenic archetypal minister.

"But she had a definite enactment approach. Mine would beryllium little interior ellipse and much large tent."

Critics assertion that Mr Yousaf has "failed upwards" with fewer accomplishments to amusement for his clip successful government, with Labour's Jackie Baillie describing him arsenic "the worst wellness caput connected record" who "now aspires to beryllium the worst archetypal curate connected record".

But the astir withering appraisal has travel from his chap SNP enactment contender Kate Forbes, who told Mr Yousaf during a unrecorded STV statement that: "You were transport curate and the trains were ne'er connected time, erstwhile you were justness caput the constabulary were stretched to breaking point, and present arsenic wellness curate we've got grounds precocious waiting times".

Mr Yousaf's clashes with Ms Forbes person been a cardinal diagnostic of the contention truthful far, with Mr Yousaf claiming his rival's views connected societal issues specified arsenic cheery marriage, trans rights and termination would spot the enactment "lurch to the right".

But Mr Yousaf has besides faced questions implicit his nonaccomplishment to instrumentality portion successful the last ballot connected cheery matrimony successful 2014, which helium said was owed to having a captious gathering astir a Scot who was being held connected decease enactment successful Pakistan connected blasphemy charges.

Alex Salmond, who was archetypal curate astatine the time, told Sky News that Mr Yousaf had missed the ballot due to the fact that of spiritual unit from a Glasgow mosque - an allegation Mr Yousaf has powerfully denied.

If the 37-year-old does go Scotland's archetypal minister, helium volition marque past arsenic the archetypal taste number person of a devolved authorities and the archetypal Muslim to pb a large UK party.

His begetter is primitively from Pakistan and emigrated to Scotland with his household successful the 1960s, portion his parent was calved into a South Asian household successful Kenya, and Mr Yousaf has often spoken of the racist maltreatment helium has received.

He was forced to telephone the constabulary aft allegedly receiving threats astatine the commencement of the enactment contest, with a 25-year-old antheral and 35-year-old pistillate being arrested and charged.

Mr Yousaf was educated astatine the Hutchesons' Grammar backstage schoolhouse successful Glasgow, wherever helium was 2 years down Scottish Labour person Anas Sarwar.

After studying authorities astatine Glasgow University, helium concisely worked successful a telephone centre earlier becoming a parliamentary adjunct to SNP MSP Bashir Ahmad and aboriginal an adjutant to Alex Salmond.

Mr Yousaf was elected arsenic a database MSP for the Glasgow portion successful 2011, with Mr Salmond promoting him to curate for Europe and planetary improvement conscionable a twelvemonth later.

He became transport curate successful 2016 aft winning Glasgow Pollok from Labour, which made him the archetypal taste number campaigner to triumph a constituency spot successful the Scottish Parliament.

Six months aft taking connected the transport portfolio, Mr Yousaf faced the embarrassment of being fined £300 and having six punishment points added to his licence aft being stopped by the constabulary portion driving his friend's car without the due insurance.

He besides faced disapproval for the show of ScotRail aft Abellio took implicit the declaration to tally the obstruction franchise, which yet led to it being nationalised.

Mr Yousaf was promoted again successful 2018 erstwhile Ms Sturgeon named him arsenic the caller justness caput arsenic portion of a reshuffle of her furniture team.

But his flagship hatred transgression measure was mired successful contention implicit fears that the caller offence of "stirring up hatred" could person a large interaction connected state of speech.

Critics said the authorities could pb to libraries and bookshops being prosecuted for having contentious books connected their shelves, with the caller instrumentality besides perchance criminalising radical for backstage conversations successful their ain home.

The measure was described by erstwhile SNP lawman person Jim Sillars arsenic being "one of the astir pernicious and unsafe pieces of authorities ever produced by immoderate authorities successful modern times successful immoderate portion of the United Kingdom".

It was yet passed by MSPs successful March 2021 aft a bid of changes were made, but has inactive not go law.

And helium dismissed concerns astir the authorities of Scotland's constabulary buildings arsenic "hyperbole" conscionable hours earlier the ceiling collapsed astatine Broughty Ferry constabulary presumption adjacent Dundee. Mr Yousaf had precocious moved to the town.

Within 3 weeks of becoming wellness caput successful May 2021, Mr Yousaf apologised for immoderate "undue alarm" helium had caused by wrongly claiming that 10 children had been hospitalised "because of Covid".

He besides famously fell disconnected a genu scooter that helium was utilizing successful the Scottish Parliament portion recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon that helium had suffered portion playing badminton.

When video of his tumble was tweeted by BBC Scotland governmental exertion Glenn Campbell, Mr Yousaf replied: "If anyone other had fallen implicit portion connected crutches, a genu scooter, oregon successful a wheelchair would your archetypal instinct beryllium to movie it & tweet out?"

His clip arsenic wellness caput has been characterised by soaring infirmary waiting times - though Mr Yousaf points retired that these problems are not unsocial to Scotland, and that the state is the lone portion of the UK to person avoided strikes by NHS staff.

Mr Yousaf's supporters - who see the SNP's Westminster person Stephen Flynn arsenic good arsenic Mr Swinney - constituent to his achievements, specified arsenic delivering the Queesferry Crossing connected clip and nether fund portion helium had work for transport and falling transgression figures portion helium was justness secretary.

Mr Flynn said helium believed Mr Yousaf was champion placed to tackle the country's economical challenges and praised his program to fast-track the enlargement of childcare to 1 and two-year-olds arsenic a "real gamechanger for some moving families and the wider economy".

Mr Yousaf and his woman Nadia El-Nakla - an SNP councillor successful Dundee - precocious dropped a £30,000 ineligible assertion against a nursery they had accused of discrimination.

The mates claimed to person been told determination was nary abstraction for their girl astatine the nursery successful Broughty Ferry, but that applicants with "white Scottish-sounding names" were accepted.

The nursery had said immoderate assertion that it was not unfastened and inclusive to each was "demonstrably false" and that it had been forced to walk tens of thousands of pounds "defending our tiny nursery against their mendacious claims".

The Care Inspectorate had antecedently upheld a ceremonial ailment made by Mr Yousaf and Ms El-Nakla astir the nursery.