Humza Yousaf bowed to the inevitable this lunchtime. Knowing that he could not win the vote of no confidence due to take place this week, he announced his resignation as First Minister and leader of the SNP. He will stay on until his successor is chosen.

This should mean that there is no 28 day limit to when the SNP choose their next leader. The rules of the Scottish Parliament state that if there is no First Minister, the Parliament has 28 days to choose another and if they can’t agree, there’s an election. But if Humza stays on, as Nicola did, the SNP can take longer to run its leadership contest.

There’s a lot of talk about John Swinney, the former Deputy FM, standing. Potentially, Kate Forbes, who came within a whisker of winning last time, could stand as well. Swinney would have a decent chance of getting the support of a majority of MSPs – the Greens would probably either back him or abstain. His major challenge would be getting a budget through next February or March. Kate Forbes would be unlikely to get the support of the Greens, given her socially conservative views, so we could be looking at a Scottish Parliament election on or round 4th July if she were the new First Minister.

Alex Cole-Hamilton’s comments on Humza Yousaf’s resignation struck the right note between hammering the SNP Government for its many failings and also being dignified and respectful to the outgoing First Minister. This is in contrast to the rather distasteful gloating coming from the Tories.

Alex said:

Today will be a difficult day for Humza Yousaf. I thank him for his service and I wish him and his family well for the future.

Humza Yousaf’s resignation hurls the SNP another step closer towards the end. This is a stale government that has been in power too long.

Scotland needs a new government- one that won’t make empty promises but will get the basics right.

For 17 years, the SNP have been ignoring the people who do most of the heavy lifting. People are working harder but feel like they are falling further behind and are being taken for granted.

By focusing on what really matters, Scottish Liberal Democrats can bring new hope to everyone who can’t get a GP appointment or see an NHS dentist, new hope to our schools slipping down the international rankings, businesses struggling to make ends meet and islanders left without lifeline ferries.

We can’t go on like this. This country can’t have yet another First Minister without an election.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social