Humza Yousaf denies deal with Alex Salmond’s Alba Party

Scotland’s first minister will revoke the electoral agreement with Alex Salmond’s Alba Party, BBC News reported.

Mr Salmond suggested Mr Alba could support Humza Yousaf in a vote of confidence if the SNP worked together to maximize the number of independent MPs.

A source close to Mr Yousaf said the SNP leader would not agree to such a deal at Westminster or Holyrood Island.

“The election promise with Alba is a fantasy,” the source said.

“We’re not really concerned about it,” Mr Salmond told the BBC’s Sunday Laura Kuenssberg programme.

Instead, he urged the first minister to consider Alba’s other proposals, including refocusing on issues such as independence, education, health, housing and the economy, and “moving away from the culture wars.”

But Stewart MacDonald, the SNP MP for Glasgow South, said a deal with Mr Salmond would be “like a bucket of cold for voters and would be met with horror in European capitals”. TV channel funded by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

The current first minister is fighting for her political future after ousting the Scottish Greens from government.

He faces a vote of confidence in the government and leadership, which could come as early as Wednesday.

The SNP has 63 seats in the Scottish Parliament, while the opposition has 65 seats, with the Conservatives, Labor, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Alba’s only Democrat MP Ash Regan all voting against it. If so, Yousaf will be defeated.

Although there is no constitutional provision for Yousaf to resign if he loses a personal confidence vote, the political pressure to do so will almost certainly be irresistible.

If the government loses, MSPs will have 28 days to get majority consent for a new first minister or an election will automatically be called for a Scottish Parliament.

The next Holyrood election is currently scheduled for 2026, and the Westminster general election is expected to take place this year.

The Scottish Greens continue to say they have “no confidence in Yousaf” and oppose him after co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvey were sacked from cabinet in the SNP-led government. I plan on voting.

On Friday, at a hastily arranged event in Dundee to announce additional funding for affordable housing, the first minister told me he understood why the Greens were so angry; “I did not intend to offend the Green Party,” he said.

The event was supposed to be the first in a series of policy announcements aimed at resetting the government with a view to keeping Yousaf in office.

A second policy announcement was expected on Sunday, but BBC News reported that it will not take place at this time, showing that his survival strategy is already at risk of going off track.

For Mr Yousaf, an alternative approach to lobbying the Greens would be to secure the votes of Mr Regan, who defected to Aruba seven months after losing the SNP leadership contest last year.

Thanks to the chairman’s casting vote, which by convention maintains the status quo, her support will be enough for him to continue.

In return for her support, Ms Regan set out a series of demands, including changes to gender policy, a sharper focus on Scottish independence and government intervention to protect the future of the Grangemouth refinery in the Firth of Forth.

Earlier, the Sunday Times reported that Mr Salmond, who led the SNP government in Edinburgh from 2007 to 2014, had backed a revival of the Alba strategy, which called for one pro-independence candidate in each Scottish constituency. It was reported that

The former First Minister told the paper that the initiative “could be partially revived” in the run-up to the general election, or “maybe there could be an understanding for the Scottish general election in two years’ time”. .

Pete Wishart, the SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire, scorned on social media, saying: “There is absolutely no way the SNP will give any concessions to the unelected Alba Party.

“For good reason, they have never won an election, and if we even think about entertaining them, they will quickly bring us down to their level.”

A source close to Yousaf agreed, commenting on the idea: “Don’t be ridiculous. So what should we do? Get rid of sitting MPs?” said.

Later, an Alba Party source told BBC News that what Mr Salmond meant about the proposed deal was that there was a “menu of independence options” that Mr Regan could accept. Ta.

The Prime Minister has written to other Holyrood party leaders to seek “common ground”.

He wants to meet separately at Bute House, his official residence in Edinburgh, to discuss how he can “contribute constructively”.

Scottish Conservative Party leader Douglas Ross, who tabled the no-confidence motion against Yousaf, said: “This is a humiliating and embarrassing letter in which Humza Yousaf is begging to be allowed to continue in office.”

Speaking on Friday, Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar said he was open to actively engaging with other parties, but added: “It’s clear that Humza Yousaf is running out of time.” .

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey told Laura Kuenssberg that the SNP had “failed Scotland” and that his party’s Holyrood leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton, had rejected Mr Yousaf’s offer to meet. .

“We are not going to take part in those talks. We want Scottish Parliament elections,” Sir Ed said.