Liz Lloyd says end of Bute House Agreement will make or break Humza Yousaf

Nicola Sturgeon's former chief of staff believes the ending of the Bute House Agreement is a make-or-break moment for Humza Yousaf.

At a press conference on Thursday morning, the First Minister announced that the power-sharing agreement that brought the Scottish Greens into government had been ended.

As a result the SNP will govern as a minority administration, which former Holyrood insider Liz Lloyd believes will be "the making or the ending" of his leadership.

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She joined the SNP as a special advisor to Jim Mather in 2004 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a key figure within the party and a trusted advisor to Ms Sturgeon.

Ms Lloyd was the former First Minister's chief of staff until 2021, then a strategic adviser on more long-term projects, and left the government when the First Minister announced her resignation.

She wrote on social media: "The decision to end the Bute House Agreement has potential to be either the making of or the ending of Humza Yousaf’s leadership.

"There are a number of tests he and his team will now have to navigate (aside from a Westminster election).

"Firstly there has not been a clear narrative, a clear purpose or good communication of the government agenda during his time as FM. Can he fix that with a reset?

"Which policies & spending decisions the SNP Govt recommits to will now be a big decision for the cabinet. Do they have a clear agenda to deliver in areas voters are looking at. How much influence will the gang of more conservative SNP MSPs on the backbench have?

"Externally there is a growing sense of inaction at all levels of govt. Decisions going unmade for too long and failing to grasp opportunities. Can this move unblock the system and reinject some energy into the machine or does it add to a sense of constant crisis ?

"Legislation & budgets? Yousaf will need to make good use of executive powers but can’t avoid difficult issues forever. Surviving will not just hang on westminster election result but on the price he pays to find a route through parliament when no party has an incentive to help."