Humza Yousaf has admitted that “everybody” had the thought that Nicola Sturgeon resigned as First Minister due to the ongoing police investigation into allegations made against the SNP.

The First Minister, who made the comments at a live recording of The Political Party with Matt Forde, clarified however that he believed his predecessor quit due to the impact on her personal life.

He said he took this explanation at “face value” and had never known the former first minister to ever be “dishonest or untruthful”, adding that the image of the police tent on the Sturgeon/Murrell garden would be “seared into people’s minds”.

Humza Yousaf spoke to Matt Forde's Edinburgh Fringe show in Teviot Row House.

Ms Sturgeon is one of the three high profile members of the SNP, alongside her husband and former chief executive of the party, Peter Murrell, and the former treasury of the party, Colin Beattie MSP, to have been arrested in connection with the police probe which began following complaints about an alleged missing £600,000 in crowdfunded donations.

However, the outgoing chief constable of Police Scotland, Iain Livingstone, confirmed that the investigation has now moved beyond the initial complaints. No charges have been made and all three individuals were released pending further investigation.

Mr Yousaf said that he “did not believe that Nicola [Sturgeon] knew what people are accusing her of knowing” when asked about the impact of the police investigation on his first few months as First Minister.

He said: “If I had known then what was going to transpire, I still would have gone for First Minister of Scotland because it is the greatest honour, why would you not go for it.

"In terms of the police investigation, have to be careful what I say, I don’t believe that Nicola knew what people are accusing her of knowing.”

He added that he was phoned by Ms Sturgeon at around 9.45pm on Valentine’s Day and initially told her that it was the wrong decision to stand down, with her explaining that it was the impact of the job on her personal life that led her to the decision, highlighting the experience of having coffee with friends in the presence of protective police officers.

Asked whether part of him thought, following the arrests by police, that that was why the former first minister stepped down, Mr Yousaf said: “I think everybody had that thought.”

"But I genuinely believe Nicola when she says...going by her public commentary, when she said I did not know what was going to happen and it is the stuff of absolute nightmares for her. She’s used the word traumatic and I absolutely believe her.

"I’ve known Nicola for well over 15 years and she goes a long way back with my Dad whose small business accountancy office and basement was her first base when she fought against Mohammad Sarwar for the Glasgow Southside seat.

"We go back a long, long time and I’ve not known Nicola to be dishonest or untruthful. She has always been absolutely straight, and I take her at face value.”

The First Minister also bemoaned the timing of the arrests, adding they impacted his ability to introduce himself to the public.

He said: “The timing of it has been challenging as well. I remember the call I got about Peter’s arrest...and I remember it was our April recess.

"We had this recess period where we thought this is the time where you get to dominate the agenda, set out your stall a little bit, and then Peter gets arrested and that dominates for weeks and weeks.

"Then I thought right we’re back at the parliament, I’m going to launch my policy prospectus; Colin Beattie gets arrested.

"The most frustrating part for me is the inability to get cut-through for what I’m trying to do because I’m afraid, whether I like it or not, the police investigation of course got cut-through and that image of police tent in the garden, that is going to sear in people’s minds.”

In a wide-ranging interview to a half empty room in Teviot Row House, Mr Yousaf also spoke about the challenges facing the independence movement and said there were “no shortcuts” to a referendum.

He said: “I genuinely believe that the only way we will break the impasse is through people power, that’s how we got the Scottish parliament...it’s that famous phrase the settled will.

"There’s no shortcuts. We’ve got to make sure that what we are in control of – I’m not in control of when a Prime Minister gives me a referendum, I’ve got to create the political conditions for that to happen but I’m not in control of it.

"I’m certainly in control of building support here in Scotland, that’s in my gift.”

The First Minister also explained why he thought issues such as Brexit, a Boris Johnson premiership, and the Liz Truss mini-budget had not pushed people into voting Yes en masse.

Mr Yousaf said: “These issues obviously strengthen our case, but it is nowhere near enough to expect people to vote for independence as a negative proposition.

"That’s undoubtedly going to be part of an argument, but the argument has to be where’s the hope, where’s the vision. I think people are crying out for that.

"I think the independence movement, and I’ve got to hold my hands up here because I’ve been a member of that movement for quite a number of years, has not done enough to say the positives of independence, the hope, the ambition, that is what will shift the dial.”

Mr Yousaf also defended the use of VIP security processes at airports by stating that often it was due to security concerns around politicians.

He raised the fact MPs have been murdered in recent years and that at least six people have been charged in connection with abuse he has personally received.

The SNP leader, speaking about his pride in becoming the first Muslim First Minister, highlighted a continued lack of diversity in Holyrood, such as the lack of any black MSPs.

He said: “There’s a lot of diversity that just hasn’t come through our political ranks yet in Scotland, but I genuinely hope can look at me and I’ve had this a lot in the last 130 odd days, a lot of people from different diversities saying you know what, because you’ve made it it makes us feel like anyone can make it which is a bit of inspiration I hope I can give.

"This is maybe an uncomfortable message for some, but I’ve spent most of my political life being told by mainly middle-aged white male conservatives both in politics and, frankly, some in the media, that I’m not smart enough, that I’m out of my depth, essentially saying that you don’t belong here in the political realm.

"I hope that any other person, whether it’s your colour, whether it’s your gender, or your background and you get told actually you don’t belong here, you should kind of look at me and say ‘f*** you’.”

Humza Yousaf: 'Everybody thought Nicola Sturgeon quit due to the police investigation, but I believe her when she says she didn't'

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