Scottish First Minister Yousaf promises to fight no-confidence vote

SNP leader says ‘confident’ to win vote as pressure builds following decision to end coalition deal with the Greens.

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has said he intends to fight a vote of no confidence following his decision to withdraw from a coalition agreement and try to run a minority government.

Yousaf, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has faced growing pressure from his political opponents after he ended a coalition deal with the Greens earlier this week.

“I’m quite confident, very confident, in fact, that I’ll be able to win that vote of no confidence,” he told British broadcaster Sky News on Friday.

A day earlier, Yousaf ended the coalition agreement with the Greens after a dispute over a decision to scrap a climate change emissions reduction target last week.

“It is in the best interest of the people of Scotland to pursue a different arrangement,” he had said, admitting that ruling as a minority government would be “tough” but promising to work with all parties in parliament.