Achi news desk-
The Scottish Labor leader, Anas Sarwar, has said that his party would support a motion of no confidence in Mr Yousaf.
Mr Ross announced the proposal after an emergency meeting of the Scottish Cabinet on Thursday morning, where Mr Yousaf ended the power-sharing agreement his party had with the Scottish Greens with “immediate effect”.
The Bute House Agreement had given the SNP a majority in Holyrood, and in the wake of its collapse the Tories tried to put more pressure on the Prime Minister.
During First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, Mr Ross told MLAs: “I can confirm today on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives that I am introducing a vote of no confidence in Humza Yousaf.
“He is a failed Prime Minister. It focuses on the wrong priorities for Scotland.
“He has governed in the interests of the SNP and not in the interests of Scotland. He is unfit for the job.”
He added with the Bute House Agreement scrapped: “Isn’t this the end of the road for this weak Prime Minister?”
If a vote of no confidence were to be passed, it would mean that the majority of MLAs no longer have confidence in the leadership of the First Minister – and it would put enormous pressure on Mr Yousaf.
The vote, however, would not automatically end Mr Yousaf’s tenure in office.
The SNP leader accused the Tories of playing a game, insisting the power-sharing deal with the Greens had “served its purpose” and lasted 19 times longer than Liz Truss’ premiership.
Mr Yousaf went on to warn Mr Ross that the Tories would “be judged very badly” for playing “political games”.
The First Minister told Members of Parliament: “I’ll leave it to Douglas Ross to play the political games he wants to play.
“If he wants to put our record and his party’s record on the line, let’s do it.
“There is a general election coming up this year and I can guarantee that the electorate will give the Conservative Party an almighty blow, show them the door, and deserve nothing less.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar challenged the First Minister to “end the circus and call an election” in Scotland.
He said: “The people of Scotland can see that the SNP have lost their way. They are weak, divided, incompetent and put party before country.”
Sources close to Mr Sarwar said that Labor would support the motion of no confidence.
Less than two hours earlier, the Prime Minister had insisted that ending the Bute House Agreement – which brought the Greens into government for the first time anywhere in the UK – was a “fresh start” for the SNP in Holyrood.
However the Greens accused him of “political cowardice”, with the move meaning co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater lose their ministerial posts in the Scottish Government.
Following Questions to the First Minister, the co-leaders said that their HPA will now consider how they will vote on any motion of no confidence.
Mr Harvie said: “The Prime Minister, tragically in my opinion, has caved in to the right wing of his party.
“I think that’s bad for Scotland, it’s bad for the Government, it’s bad for him.
“The First Minister needs to have a majority in the Scottish Parliament. The Bute House Agreement was a way of achieving that.”
Mr Sarwar also made it clear that Labor has no confidence in the First Minister.
The SNP will now operate as a minority administration at Holyrood – with Mr Yousaf himself admitting this could be “difficult”.
Speaking in the First Minister, Mr Harvie asked Mr Yousaf “who is most pleased” with the decision – suggesting it could be Mr Ross, SNP rebel Fergus Ewing, or former prime minister and Party leader Alex Alba Salmond.
All three have been frequent critics of the Bute House Agreement, with Mr Harvie – in a vexed question at Holyrood – further asking which of them the Prime Minister can now rely on for a majority in the Senate.
The First Minister thanked the fellow Green leaders for their work in Government, but said it was “time for the SNP to govern as a minority Government”.
The end of the Bute House Agreement came amid rising tensions between the two pro-independence parties – with the Greens left furious after the Scottish Government last week abandoned a key climate change target.
The Greens were also unhappy with the Scottish Government’s response to the Cass Review into gender identity services for children and young people.
The Greens had been planning to hold a vote for their members on the future of the agreement, but before that could happen, Mr Yousaf called time on the deal, saying that it had “achieved its purpose”.
During a press conference at Bute House, his official residence in Edinburgh, the First Minister said: “I believe going forward it would be in the best interests of the people of Scotland to follow a different arrangement.
“That is why, following a discussion with my Cabinet this morning, I have formally informed Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater that I am terminating the Bute House Agreement with immediate effect.”
But Ms Slater said of the move: “This is an act of political cowardice by the SNP, who are selling out to future generations in order to silence the most reactionary forces in the country.
“By ending the agreement in such a weak and completely hopeless way, Humza Yousaf has indicated that when it comes to political cooperation, he can no longer be trusted.”
He accused the SNP of having “broken the bonds of trust with members of both parties” and said it had “betrayed the electorate”.
