HUMZA Yousaf’s resignation makes him the second shortest-serving Scottish First Minister.
But his brief time at the top was not short of major moments.
Between his family’s terrifying ordeal in under-siege Gaza to his momentous toppling of his own government, and a starring role on the cover of Time magazine in between, all set against the ongoing police investigation, Yousaf’s brief time in power was not without drama.
These are his biggest moments as First Minister …
Operation Branchform
Just a week after Humza Yousaf was sworn in as First Minister, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell was arrested in connection with the ongoing police investigation into the party’s finances.
Unforgettable scenes followed as police officers set up blue forensic tents outside the home of Murrell and his wife Nicola Sturgeon.
A little under two weeks later, then-party treasurer Colin Beattie was also arrested in connection with the probe but has since been released.
READ MORE: Kate Forbes issues statement after Humza Yousaf steps down as SNP leader
Sturgeon followed suit, being arrested in June and she too was released.
Murrell was earlier this year charged with embezzlement.
Defections, disputes and departures
Yousaf’s tenure also saw a number of dramatic alterations to the party’s make up both in Westminster and Holyrood.
Lisa Cameron (below), who has been the MP for East Kilbride since 2015, defected to the Tories in October 2023, having previously complained of a “toxic” atmosphere in the party.
She had earlier that year wrote to the Scottish Secretary Alister Jack to urge his intervention in the row over the Gender Recognition Reform Bill.
Then came Ash Regan who defected to Alba, becoming the party’s first representative in the Scottish Parliament.
She had come third in the SNP leadership election which saw Yousaf elected and he dismissed her departure as “no great loss”.
When facing the threat of a confidence vote in parliament however, it appeared for a brief time last week she held his future in her hands.
READ MORE: New polling predicts Holyrood and Westminster results as Humza Yousaf resigns
One of the party’s longest-standing MPs, Angus MacNeil, also left the SNP under Yousaf’s leadership.
The Na h-Eileanan an Iar MP refused to retake the whip after he had been suspended following an argument with Brendan O’Hara, who at the time served as chief whip.
Fergus Ewing (below), a former minister and part of a veritable SNP dynasty, was suspended after backing a no-confidence motion against former Greens minister Lorna Slater.
And there was the departure from government of ex-health minister Michael Matheson – who had racked up a £11,000 data bill on his parliamentary iPad while on holiday.
Yousaf stood by Matheson throughout the saga but the MSP eventually stood down.
Gaza
Perhaps the most defining points in Yousaf’s premiership came during the perilous few weeks while his mother and father-in-law were trapped in Gaza as Israel rained down hellfire on the Palestinian territory.
They had been visiting Gaza in the days before Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7 and Yousaf revealed they were stuck there in the days after.
He said he feared they may not “make it through the night” and spoke a number of times about their life-threatening situation as they made their way to the Egyptian border.
They were lucky to make it home in November and Yousaf described the experience as “traumatic” on their reunion.
READ MORE: SNP 'old guard' stopped Humza Yousaf making deal with Alba, Alex Salmond claims
Yousaf was also steadfast in his support for a ceasefire and won plaudits for his stance on the situation in the Middle East.
Council tax freeze
Some Greens believed this moment from the SNP conference was the beginning of the end for the Bute House Agreement, their power-sharing agreement with Yousaf’s party.
Speaking during his closing speech at the SNP’s conference in October last year, said freezing council tax was “the SNP delivering for people when they need it most” but councils complained it would force them to cut their budgets.
It also meant the Greens betrayed a manifesto commitment that the party would not impose spending decisions on councils from central government.
Climate targets ditched
The straw that broke the camel’s back for many Greens came when the Scottish Government announced it was ditching a key climate target.
READ MORE: The bookies' frontrunners on who will replace Humza Yousaf as SNP leader
Energy Secretary Mairi McAllan (below) announced earlier this month she was scrapping the target of reducing carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.
Despite her also announcing some new eco-policies, the move enraged Green activists who successfully demanded a vote on the future of the Bute House Agreement.
Sacking the Greens
On Wednesday night last week, Yousaf invited former Green ministers Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater to Bute House, where he sacked them the following morning.
The decision trigged the political chaos which has ultimately resulted in Yousaf’s departure from the office of First Minister.
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