FMQs: Humza Yousaf accused of siding with Greens rather than veteran SNP MSP Fergus Ewing

The exchange took place before the leaders knew of Winnie Ewing’s death.

Humza Yousaf was accused of siding with his “extremist” coalition partners, the Scottish Greens, rather than with a veteran SNP MSP who voted against the government in a no-confidence motion earlier this week.

Fergus Ewing, a former rural economy secretary, voted for a Conservative motion of no confidence in Green circular economy minister Lorna Slater on Tuesday.

The motion was brought to Holyrood this week after the company set up to run Scotland’s deposit return recycling scheme called in the administrators, putting scores of jobs on the line.

First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf during First Minster's Questions (FMQ's) at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh

It was expected, prior to the death of Mr Ewing’s mother and SNP legend Winnie Ewing, that he would lose the party whip. That process was set to take some weeks. However, it is now unclear what will happen.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross raised the issue during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, urging Mr Yousaf to say if he is going to “sack Fergus Ewing”.

Mr Yousaf said it was a matter for the SNP group at the Scottish Parliament, adding: “I’m not going to go into issues that are matters for our group.”

But Mr Ross hit back: “This is a Government issue because it was a Government vote of no confidence in a Government minister. Surely Humza Yousaf can be honest with the people across Scotland if he takes it seriously that one of his own MSPs refused to support him?”

Mr Ross said Mr Ewing had voted against Ms Slater “because of her dreadful performance in post, especially the disastrous handling of the deposit return scheme”.

He claimed Mr Yousaf was “considering losing a party stalwart who is standing up for Scottish businesses” while “keeping an incompetent Green minister” in his Government.

With Mr Yousaf having refused to suspend former first minister Nicola Sturgeon after she was arrested as part of the police investigation into SNP finances, Mr Ross continued his attack.

He told the First Minister: “There are serious questions to be raised about the conduct of one of his MSPs, who has voted against his own Government on a vote of no confidence. If he says it was the right decision to back Lorna Slater, what does that say about Fergus Ewing?

“Humza Yousaf, the First Minister who won’t suspend Nicola Sturgeon who is under police investigation, looks like he will suspend Fergus Ewing for challenging Green incompetence.”

Mr Yousaf, however, pointed out MSPs had voted down the motion of no confidence in Ms Slater. On the deposit return scheme – that will now not begin until the UK implements an initiative in England in late 2025 – Mr Yousaf insisted blame for the initiative’s latest delay “squarely lies with the UK Government”.

He said: “The reason why this Parliament backed the Government, backed Lorna Slater, when it came to that vote of no confidence is because they know it was the UK Government’s 11th-hour intervention that completely torpedoed the deposit return scheme.”

The First Minister was also critical of Mr Ross after Conservative MP and Scottish secretary Alister Jack failed to vote to sanction Boris Johnson.

Mr Yousaf declared: “I am not going to take any lectures on leadership from Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, who just this week was unable to muster his own Scottish Tory MPs to vote to sanction Boris Johnson.”

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