Ministerial offices (2012–2023)

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
In office 20 May 2021 – 28 March 2023
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Jeane Freeman
Succeeded by	Michael Matheson
Cabinet Secretary for Justice
In office 26 June 2018 – 20 May 2021
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Michael Matheson
Succeeded by	Keith Brown
Minister for Transport and the Islands
In office 18 May 2016 – 26 June 2018
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Derek Mackay
Succeeded by	Paul Wheelhouse
Minister for Europe and International Development
In office 6 September 2012 – 18 May 2016
First Minister	Alex Salmond Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Fiona Hyslop (2011)
Succeeded by	Alasdair Allan

Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Glasgow Pollok

Incumbent

Assumed office
5 May 2016

Preceded by

Johann Lamont

Majority

7,105 (21.0%)

Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Glasgow
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)

In office
5 May 2011 – 5 May 2016

Personal details

Born

Humza Haroon Yousaf

7 April 1985 (age 40)
Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Political party

Scottish National Party

Spouses

Gail Lythgoe

(m. 2010; div. 2017)

Nadia El-Nakla

(m. 2019)

Children

Education

Hutchesons' Grammar School

Alma mater

University of Glasgow (MA)

Signature

Humza Haroon Yousaf (born 7 April 1985) is a Scottish politician. He was the First Minister of Scotland and the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from March 2023 to May 2024.

Before becoming First Minister, he held important jobs in the Scottish Government. He was the justice secretary from 2018 to 2021 and the health secretary from 2021 to 2023. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Pollok since 2016.

Yousaf was born in Glasgow to parents who had moved to Scotland from Pakistan. He studied politics at the University of Glasgow. After graduating, he worked as an assistant for several politicians, including Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.

When he became First Minister in March 2023, he made history. He was the youngest person, the first Scottish Asian, and the first Muslim to lead Scotland. His time as First Minister was the second-shortest in history.

Early Life and Family
Start in Politics
Member of the Scottish Parliament
- Early Government Roles
- Senior Government Roles
Becoming First Minister
First Minister of Scotland (2023–2024)
Personal Life
Political Views
See also

Early Life and Family

Humza Yousaf was born on 7 April 1985 in Rutherglen, Scotland. His father's family came from Punjab, Pakistan, and moved to Scotland in the 1960s. His grandfather worked at the Singer sewing machine factory in Clydebank.

Yousaf's mother was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to a family of Pakistani heritage. Her family also moved to Scotland.

Yousaf went to a private school in Glasgow called Hutchesons' Grammar School. His classes in Modern Studies made him interested in politics. He later studied politics at the University of Glasgow and graduated in 2007.

Start in Politics

Yousaf was involved in community work from a young age. He helped youth groups and charities. He was also a volunteer spokesperson for the charity Islamic Relief.

He joined the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2005 while at university. He was inspired by speeches from the party's leader, Alex Salmond. Yousaf believed that if Scotland became an independent country, it could make its own decisions about important issues.

After university, he worked as an assistant for Bashir Ahmad, who was the first Muslim elected to the Scottish Parliament. Later, he worked for other important politicians like Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Official parliamentary portrait, 2011

In 2011, Yousaf was elected to the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow region. At 26, he was the youngest MSP elected that year. When he was sworn in, he took his oath in both English and Urdu. He wore a traditional sherwani with a touch of tartan to show his Scottish-Pakistani identity.

Early Government Roles

In 2012, First Minister Alex Salmond made Yousaf a junior minister. He was the Minister for External Affairs and International Development. This made him the first Scottish Asian and Muslim minister in the Scottish Government.

When Nicola Sturgeon became First Minister in 2014, Yousaf continued as a junior minister. In 2016, he became the Minister for Transport and the Islands.

Senior Government Roles

Yousaf signs Nicola Sturgeon's nomination for first minister, 19 November 2014

In 2018, Sturgeon promoted Yousaf to her cabinet as the Cabinet Secretary for Justice. A cabinet secretary is one of the most senior ministers in the government.

In 2021, he became the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. This was during the later part of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was in charge of helping the NHS (National Health Service) recover and managing the vaccine program.

Becoming First Minister

Leadership campaign logo

In February 2023, Nicola Sturgeon announced she was resigning as SNP leader and First Minister. This started a contest to choose a new leader. Yousaf announced he wanted to be the next leader.

He said he would continue to work towards Scottish independence. On 27 March 2023, it was announced that Yousaf had won the election. He became the new leader of the SNP.

First Minister of Scotland (2023–2024)

Yousaf is formally sworn in as First Minister at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, March 2023

Yousaf was officially sworn in as First Minister of Scotland on 29 March 2023. He was the youngest person to hold the office. He was also the first person of South Asian and Muslim background to be First Minister.

Plans for Scotland

As First Minister, Yousaf continued the government's work on plans for an independent Scotland. He released papers about what a constitution for an independent Scotland could look like. A constitution is a set of rules for how a country is run.

He also launched a project called Reading Schools. The goal was to encourage a love of reading in schools across Scotland.

Working with Other Countries

Yousaf meets with President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, 2024

Yousaf's first trip abroad as First Minister was to Brussels, the headquarters of the European Union. He wanted to build a good relationship between Scotland and the EU.

He also met with leaders from other countries, like the Prime Minister of Pakistan. They talked about how Scotland and Pakistan could work together on trade and education.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Yousaf showed his support for Ukraine. He said that Scotland stood with the Ukrainian people and had welcomed thousands of refugees.

Resignation

In April 2024, Yousaf ended a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens party. This led to a political crisis, and he faced losing a vote of confidence in parliament.

On 29 April 2024, he announced he would resign as First Minister and SNP leader. He officially left office on 7 May 2024. John Swinney became the new First Minister.

Personal Life

Yousaf's family at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, 2023 (from left to right; his step-daughter, himself, his wife, Nadia, and mother Shaaista)

Yousaf married psychotherapist Nadia El-Nakla in 2019. They have two daughters and one stepdaughter. The family lives in Broughty Ferry, a suburb of Dundee.

In October 2023, Yousaf shared that his wife's parents were in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war. They were able to safely return to Scotland in November.

Political Views

Yousaf is a supporter of Scottish independence. He believes that Scotland should be an independent country. He thinks another referendum on independence should only happen when there is clear support from the public.

He also supports Scottish republicanism, which means he believes Scotland's head of state should be an elected citizen, not a monarch. However, he attended the coronation of King Charles III in 2023.

Yousaf is known for his socially progressive views. He supports equality for all people, including the LGBT community. As a practising Muslim, he has said that he does not make laws based on his personal faith.

Humza Yousaf facts for kids

Contents