The ball is in Humza Yousaf’s court if he wants to continue as First Minister of Scotland, the Alba Party MSP who could decide his fate has suggested. 

Ash Regan, a former SNP leadership candidate who now represents Alex Salmond’s party as its only MSP at Holyrood, said she was not making “specific demands” of Mr Yousaf. 

But she said her vote at a vote of no confidence in Mr Yousaf next week will depend on how he responds to questions she has set out in a letter to him, including on defending the rights of women and on progress towards Scottish independence. 

The Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Scottish Greens are all backing the vote of no confidence, likely 64 MSPs in total. The SNP has 63 MSPs which means Ms Regan is likely to hold the deciding vote. 

Asked what she was seeking from Mr Yousaf, Ms Regan to the BBC’s The World Tonight programme: “I am not setting out specific demands as such, I am really putting the ball into Humza’s court for him to come back to me and explain to me how he will make progress in a couple of these areas, particularly around the return to a competent government. 

“This is something the SNP was obviously known for a few years ago. Unfortunately it has lost its focus over the last few years, it has gone down pursuing some policies that are not popular with the public, many of those were policies that really stemmed from the coalition agreement with the Green Party.”

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