Humza Yousaf has bowed to pressure and resigned as Scotland’s first minister.
Humza Yousaf has resigned as Scottish first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), but who is expected to replace him?
The bookmakers are predicting a close battle to replace Yousaf according to the latest next SNP leader odds through oddschecker.
The top three in the market are separated by less than a single betting point on William Hill.
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At the time of writing, both Kate Forbes and Neil Gray come in at 2/1 (33% chance), while John Swinney heads the market at 6/4 (40% chance).
Forbes narrowly lost to Humza Yousaf in the SNP leadership contest which saw him become leader, while Swinney is the former Deputy First Minister and Gray is the Health Secretary.
An outsider in the market is Stephen Flynn (16/1) the party's Westminster leader who can't be first minister from Westminster but could technically lead the SNP if Yousaf goes as party leader.
Yousaf, who says he will stay on as first minister until the SNP chooses his replacement, had originally rejected calls to resign but today announced that he has opted not to carry on after a weekend reflecting on his position.
He said he had "underestimated" the level of hurt after ending a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens last week.
Next SNP Leader Odds
| Runner | Best Odds |
|---|---|
| John Swinney | 6/4 |
| Kate Forbes | 2/1 |
| Neil Gray | 2/1 |
| Jenny Gilruth | 8/1 |
| Stephen Flynn | 16/1 |
