Getty ImagesThe Scottish Government is facing a vote of no-confidence that if passed could force all ministers to resign.
Holyrood officials confirmed that Labour’s motion would go ahead today, despite Humza Yousaf saying at the start of the week that he would resign as FM.
Although the motion is unlikely to pass without the support of the Greens, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said he wanted to use it to highlight the need for a Holyrood election following the turmoil in the SNP.
Yousaf announced his intention to resign on Monday following the threat of being ousted by no-confidence motions against him and the government.
Nominations are now open for prospective SNP candidates to put their names on the ballot.
Sarwar said the “genie was out of the bottle” for the SNP following Yousaf’s decision to quit, adding: “I think this is a dysfunctional, chaotic, divided political party.”
The Scottish Tories were due to table a motion of no-confidence in Yousaf but announced on Tuesday they would not go ahead with it, declaring “job done”.
But arguing the Scottish Government was “incompetent” and could not be saved by a new leader, Sarwar said: “We will not be withdrawing the motion.
“I think the Greens and the SNP obviously have already made it clear they would not support such a motion but the principle of that motion still stands.
“I have no confidence in this SNP Government.”
He said pressing on with the motion of no confidence despite it being unlikely to pass parliament was a “point of principle”.
While the Tories and LibDems have offered their support, it would need Green MSPs to vote for it to make up the numbers.
But the party has accused Sarwar of “political gameplaying”.
Greens MSP Gillian Mackay said the confidence vote was a tool to “embarrass” Yousaf further, and accused Labour of “parliamentary game-playing”.
She said: “Like the withdrawn Tory motion, the Labour one has clearly been overtaken by events. Pursuing it would achieve nothing, and would simply mean more parliamentary game-playing.
“Labour MSPs have spent the last few days saying the government needs to get back to running the country, so why do they want to waste the valuable time of the Scottish Parliament, staff and MSPs by carrying on with this charade when it has no chance of passing?”
Mackay added: “We bear no personal animosity to the First Minister or the SNP, and, as Scottish Greens, are already getting back to business.”
The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.
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