RACHEL Reeves has broken UK Labour’s silence on the political chaos in Holyrood – demanding MSPs back her party’s efforts to topple Humza Yousaf and trigger an election.
Keir Starmer's shadow chancellor said MSPs should back Anas Sarwar’s confidence motion against the Scottish Government so the SNP administration “will fall and there’ll be fresh elections”.
She said: “We now have two broken governments: the SNP in Scotland and the Conservatives in Westminster. It is time for fresh elections in Scotland and across the UK.
“The SNP are terribly divided and that is having a real impact on the lives and communities across Scotland. We don’t just want another leader of the SNP – we’ve already had two during this parliament so far.”
READ MORE: What happens if the Scottish Government loses a no confidence vote?
It comes amid political wrangling in Holyrood as Yousaf clings onto his premiership by a thread.
Scottish Labour are understood to be reaching out to the Greens on Friday to see whether the party can be persuaded to support their motion of no confidence in the Government.
A separate Tory motion has also been lodged, which expresses no confidence in the First Minister.
While the Scottish Conservatives’ motion is narrower and may not necessarily trigger an election, Labour are hoping the Greens will not back it out of fear of associating with the Tories.
If passed, Labour’s motion could precipitate an early Holyrood election because Yousaf will need to resign and the Parliament will be forced to chose his successor. If MSPs are unable to elect a new first minister, the county will go to the polls.
Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: “The Scottish Conservatives will always push to remove the SNP from power at every turn and will support a confidence motion in the government, but we believe the initial focus of all opposition parties needs to be solely on removing Humza Yousaf from office until that has been achieved.
“The Greens have lost confidence in Humza Yousaf but they may not vote to bring down the entire SNP Government. Labour must avoid an overstep that lets Humza Yousaf wriggle free when he is there for the taking. Anas Sarwar has let the SNP off the hook before on the Hate Crime Act and Gender Recognition Reform Bill. He should not be naive and hand Humza Yousaf a lifeline.
“The Scottish Conservative confidence motion has forced Humza Yousaf to the brink and we urge opposition parties to focus on delivering that first.”
Alex Cole-Hamilton, the leader of the Scottish LibDems, said: "I want to see a government that is focused on driving down waits for healthcare, tackling the sewage in our rivers and taking action on the cost of living. This is clearly not that government.
“For that reason Scottish Liberal Democrats are prepared to vote no confidence in this failed nationalist regime and will provide the remaining signatures required to bring this motion to Parliament."
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