Humza Yousaf will tell parliamentarians he will “lead Scotland in the interests of all our people” as he seeks to move focus away from the crisis engulfing his party following the arrest and subsequent release without charge of the SNP’s former chief executive and husband of Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Murrell. The new SNP leader will set out his plans to focus on “reducing poverty and strengthening public services” while “using the powers of devolution to their maximum”. He will tell MSPs Brexit, UK government “mismanagement” and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine all pose challenges to the government, but that his cabinet will bring forward a “fresh vision of how we face them”. Mr Yousaf is expected to say: “These challenging times we live in call for us to share a fresh vision of how we face them. My Cabinet has considered how we can build a better future for Scotland and the outcomes necessary to achieve that – through a determined focus on reducing poverty and strengthening public services, seizing the opportunity to build a growing and green wellbeing economy through the net zero transition and supporting business, and reaffirming our commitment to equality, inclusion, and human rights in everything we do. “We will do so using the powers of devolution to their maximum, whilst making the case that as an independent nation, we can do so much more to make Scotland a wealthier, fairer, and greener country.” His comments will come after poverty campaigners and others called on his government to use Scotland’s tax system to ensure the richest and those who damage the environment the most pay the most in tax. Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “The First Minister has been strident about his desire to tackle poverty and climate change but if he’s to achieve those ambitions then he must now back-up his commitments and consider bold changes to tax. “There is no shortage of money in Scotland. The First Minister now must prove that there is also no shortage of the political courage needed to take the urgent action required to build a fairer, more sustainable future. Failure to do so would short-change us all: Scotland simply can’t afford to be timid on tax any longer.” Ruth Boyle, policy and campaigns manager at the Poverty Alliance, added: ““For too long, our tax system simply hasn’t kept pace with Scotland’s growing inequality of wealth and income. It’s time for the Scottish Government to use our tax powers in a progressive way, to raise the investment we need for the just and compassionate society that people believe in.” Work by think-tank IPPR Scotland estimated a new tax band in between the higher and top tax rates could generate as much as £257m for the Scottish exchequer. Mr Yousaf has also been urged to “grasp the nettle” of reforming transparency and accountability infrastructure, with chief executive of Transparency International UK, Daniel Boyle calling for an independent review of the governance of all publicly-owned businesses, including embattled shipyard Ferguson Marine. He added: “In recent weeks every party in Scotland has re-stated the importance of openness and transparency in politics. We agree that good governance is vital for good business – be that corporations, charities, political parties or governments. “If there was ever an opportunity to grasp the nettle of reform of transparency and accountability infrastructure, that time is now.” Want to hear more from The Scotsman's politics team? Check out the latest episode of our political podcast, The Steamie. It's available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
