HUMZA Yousaf had been discussing a potential deal with Alba to allow him to survive as first minister – but the SNP “old guard” stepped in to block it, Alex Salmond has claimed.
The Alba leader said Yousaf had been on the phone with Alba at 7:30am on Monday morning in a last-minute bid to stay on as first minister, even as reports overnight said he had decided to resign.
Salmond, himself a former SNP leader, made the claims as he gave an interview to BBC Radio 4 on Monday afternoon, just an hour after Yousaf had announced his plans to resign.
READ MORE: The bookies' frontrunners on who will replace Humza Yousaf as SNP leader
Asked if Alba could support former finance secretary Kate Forbes as first minister, Salmond said: “Ash Regan, as she said to Humza Yousaf, would support things that were in the interests of Scotland and independence, and that would apply to any SNP leader and first minister who came in.”
He went on: “Incidentally, I seldom take issue with your excellent political correspondent, but this idea that Humza Yousaf didn't want to do a deal with Alba – it's just simply untrue.
“At half-past-seven this morning, he was trying to do a deal with Alba and complimented the proposals we've made as ‘very reasonable’.
“The reason he didn't do a deal with Alba is there were forces within his own party who stopped him doing it – let's call them the ‘old guard’.
“See, the ultimate problem for Humza was he wasn't actually in control of his own party, which is why he wasn't able to survive.”
During a press conference announcing his resignation, Yousaf had suggested that he was stepping down because he had not been willing to compromise on his principles to make a deal with Alba.
“I am not willing to trade in my values or principles or do deals with whomever simply for retaining power,” Yousaf said.
Salmond was asked about this comment. He responded: “That rather conflicts with him phoning at half-past-seven this morning.”
Suggestions within the SNP are that former deputy first minister and party leader John Swinney may be asked to take the helm in order to steady the ship.
Swinney said on Monday afternoon that he is giving “very active consideration” to the idea of standing for the leadership.
Elsewhere, reports said that the Scottish Greens had been placated by Yousaf’s resignation and would abstain on two no-confidence votes tables at Holyrood by the Unionist opposition.
The Greens abstaining would allow Yousaf to survive both votes with SNP backing alone, meaning he could remain in place until the party chooses a successor.
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