Humza Yousaf deemed ‘weak leader’ and ‘disaster’ as rivals give verdict one year on

The First Minister narrowly defeated rival Kate Forbes in his run for the top job on March 27 last year, beginning a turbulent 12 months in charge.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar pointed to the SNP’s electoral troubles in the past year, particularly the loss of the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election to Labour and the defection of two elected members – Ash Regan MSP to the Alba Party and MP Lisa Cameron to the Conservatives – as well as MP Angus MacNeil leaving the party.

Mr Sarwar also attacked the First Minister’s efforts to tackle child poverty and drug deaths.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross highlighted more than 100 instances of what he claimed were failures during Mr Yousaf’s time in office, including missing A&E waiting times targets, the publication of nine new papers in the independence prospectus series, and the country’s economy.

Mr Ross added that voters will have the chance to pass judgment on the First Minister’s “dire reign” at the upcoming general election.

Mr Sarwar said: “After a year in post, it is clear to see that Humza Yousaf is a weak leader who is out of his depth and leading a chaotic and divided Government that is not delivering for Scotland.

“Every sector of our public services is now weaker thanks to Humza Yousaf’s SNP.

“Not only is it clear to the people of Scotland that Humza Yousaf has no vision for the future – even his own former cabinet colleagues are saying so in public.

“This is a record of shame and failure.

“With Humza Yousaf scrambling for a new election strategy on a weekly basis, it is no surprise that the people of Scotland are now looking for change.

“We need change here in Scotland and across the UK, and only Scottish Labour can deliver it.”

Mr Ross said: “Humza Yousaf’s first year as SNP leader has been nothing short of a disaster for him, his party and – most importantly – the people of Scotland.

“It’s a tale of independence obsession, abject failures and broken promises; of a First Minister out of his depth and unable to control his feuding, scandal-ridden party.

“Humza Yousaf has ignored the real priorities of Scots – fixing our ailing public services and growing the economy – and instead doubled down on the SNP’s fixation with breaking up the UK, while cosying up to the anti-growth Greens.

“This detailed and damning dossier lays bare his appalling record, which includes every A&E target being missed, Scotland’s economy shrinking, rising levels of violent and sexual crimes, unacceptable train cancellations at SNP-run ScotRail, and public cash being squandered on independence propaganda papers.

“Later this year voters will get the chance to cast their verdict on his and the SNP’s dire reign. In swathes of seats across Scotland they know that only the Scottish Conservatives can beat the SNP and get the focus back to the issues that matter to them.”

SNP Depute Leader, Keith Brown insisted that Mr Yousaf is “providing the leadership Scotland needs.”

“In the past year, the First Minister has put Scotland’s values and priories first at every turn - from delivering a budget that invests in our NHS and public services, to freezing council tax for households across Scotland to support people suffering from Westminster’s cost of living crisis, to resetting the Scottish Government's relationship with business."It is leadership - and policy decisions - based on clear values. And Humza Yousaf's leadership is in stark contrast to the Westminster parties and their Scottish branch offices."