HUMZA Yousaf has said that Keir Starmer does not need Scotland in order to win the next General Election.
During an interview with ITV Border, the First Minister said it was likely that the UK Labour leader would be victorious.
“Keir Starmer is 20-25% ahead in the polls,” said Yousaf.
“The high probability is he’s going to be the next prime minister."
However, he was then pressed as to why people should vote for the SNP if Starmer’s victory was all but assured.
He replied: “Very simply because the SNP always stands up for Scotland.
“The SNP is second place in every single Conservative seat. So, if you want rid of the Tories in Scotland, well the way to do that is to make sure you vote for the SNP.
“Keir Starmer does not need Scotland to win the election, that is the point. He is going to be the next prime minister of the United Kingdom.
“If you have a bunch of Scottish Labour MPs, are they really going to be standing up for Scotland or will they be standing up for Keir Starmer?”
Yousaf was then asked if he would resign if there was a “big loss of SNP MPs” at the next election.
“I don’t hypothecate. Ultimately, whatever the fortunes of the SNP, ultimately [they are] my responsibility.
READ MORE: Alan Cumming hits out at UK Government amid independence prediction
“Of course, they’re my responsibility. I’m the leader of the party. But my intention is to win that General Election and that’s what I’ll be doing now and every day until that election.”
In-depth analysis of Westminster voting intentions suggested that the SNP are set to return 20 MPs at the next election, which would be the party’s worst result since 2010.
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour were predicted to win 22 seats while the Scottish Conservatives were on course to return 11 MPs in Scotland.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel