SNP leadership election result: Humza Yousaf calls for unity as he wins contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon

Humza Yousaf has been elected the new leader of the SNP.

He is set to become become Scotland’s youngest first minister and also the first ever person from a minority ethnic background to hold the post.

Scottish health secretary Mr Yousaf, 37, had been vying with Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the party in the SNP’s first leadership contest for almost 20 years.

After a sometimes fiery and divisive race, he was announced on Monday afternoon as the winner of a ballot among SNP members, meaning he will succeed Nicola Sturgeon as the party’s new leader.

Assuming he receives the nomination of the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, he will become Scotland’s sixth permanent First Minister.

Mr Yousaf said: “It is hard for me to find the words to describe just how honoured I am to be entrusted by our membership of the SNP to be the party’s next leader and to be on the cusp of being our country’s next first minister.”

He paid tribute to Ms Forbes and Ms Regan, adding: “It’s felt we’ve seen each other more than our respective families.

“You both have put in an incredible shift and I know that collectively we will work hard as part of Team SNP.”

He said it is now time for the SNP to come together and deliver independence.

“Leadership elections, by their very nature, can be bruising,” he said. “However, in the SNP we are a family.

“Over the last five weeks we may have been competitors or supporters of different candidates.

“We are no longer team Humza, or team Ash, or team Kate. We are one team.

“We will be the team, we will be the generation, that delivers independence for Scotland.”

He added: “I feel like the luckiest man in the world to be standing here as leader of the SNP. A party I joined almost 20 years and that I love so dearly.”

Mr Yousaf paid tribute to the late Labour leader John Smith in his victory speech and said it was “the greatest honour and privilege of my life” to be the next first minister, should Parliament decide to elect him.

The SNP’s national secretary Lorna Finn announced that turnout in the party’s leadership election was 70 per cent.

The result was announced at the BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Monday afternoon.

For first preferences in the STV system, Mr Yousaf took 24,336 (48 per cent), Ms Forbes took 20,559 (40per cent) and Ms Regan took 5,599 (11 per cent) of the vote.

When second preferences were distributed in the second stage, Mr Yousaf took 26,032 (52 per cent) and Ms Forbes took 23,890 (48 per cent).

Viewed as the continuity candidate, Mr Yousaf had greater levels of public support from SNP parliamentarians at both Holyrood and Westminster than the other candidates, with high-profile backers including outgoing Deputy First Minister John Swinney, and new SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn.

Mr Yousaf was first elected in 2011 as a regional MSP for Glasgow and was appointed a junior minister the following year, becoming Justice Secretary in 2018.

Ms Sturgeon, who was Scotland’s longest-serving first minister, announced last month she was stepping down after more than eight years in the job.

The outgoing Scottish First Minister congratulated Mr Yousaf on his victory in the race to succeed her.

Ms Sturgeon tweeted: “I pay tribute to all 3 candidates for @theSNP leadership for rising to the challenge.

“Most of all I congratulate @HumzaYousaf and wish him every success.

“He will be an outstanding leader & First Minister and I could not be prouder to have him succeed me.”

Mr Yousaf’s election has been hailed as “fantastic” in representing a “multicultural and diverse society”.

The Tell Mama group, which works on tackling anti-Muslim hatred, tweeted: “Fantastic to see politicians in leading roles representing our multicultural and diverse society in the UK and Scotland. Congratulations @HumzaYousaf elected leader of the SNP”.