HUMZA Yousaf has said that Keir Starmer does not need Scotland in order to win the next General Election.
During an interview with ITV Border, the First Minister said it was likely that the UK Labour leader would be victorious.
“Keir Starmer is 20-25% ahead in the polls,” said Yousaf.
“The high probability is he’s going to be the next prime minister."
However, he was then pressed as to why people should vote for the SNP if Starmer’s victory was all but assured.
He replied: “Very simply because the SNP always stands up for Scotland.
“The SNP is second place in every single Conservative seat. So, if you want rid of the Tories in Scotland, well the way to do that is to make sure you vote for the SNP.
“Keir Starmer does not need Scotland to win the election, that is the point. He is going to be the next prime minister of the United Kingdom.
“If you have a bunch of Scottish Labour MPs, are they really going to be standing up for Scotland or will they be standing up for Keir Starmer?”
Yousaf was then asked if he would resign if there was a “big loss of SNP MPs” at the next election.
“I don’t hypothecate. Ultimately, whatever the fortunes of the SNP, ultimately [they are] my responsibility.
“Of course, they’re my responsibility. I’m the leader of the party. But my intention is to win that General Election and that’s what I’ll be doing now and every day until that election.”
In-depth analysis of Westminster voting intentions suggested that the SNP are set to return 20 MPs at the next election, which would be the party’s worst result since 2010.
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour were predicted to win 22 seats while the Scottish Conservatives were on course to return 11 MPs in Scotland.
