FORMER first minister Humza Yousaf has revealed why he chose not to sue billionaire Twitter/X owner Elon Musk.
The pair first got into a feud online back in October 2023 after Musk called Yousaf a “blatant racist” after watching a highly selective clip of a speech filmed when the SNP MSP was justice secretary.
The row continued in 2024 between the pair following riots in England and Northern Ireland in the summer which were sparked after the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Stockport in July and fuelled by false information on social media.
The former SNP leader accused Musk of having “amplified” white supremacists and far-right neo-Nazi conspiracy theories, highlighting how he had controversially claimed that “civil war is inevitable”.
Responding on Twitter/X, Musk claimed Yousaf is “super, super racist” and dared him to sue.
Now, Yousaf has revealed in his new book Under Fire – with the early excerpt in The Times – that he was advised by senior lawyers that he could sue Musk for calling him a “blatant racist” but ultimately abandoned the case.
The ex-MSP said he spoke to his lawyer, Aamer Anwar, about the possibility of suing Musk for defamation after his initial attack on him but ultimately decided not to go ahead with it as the case would be a “distraction”.
“Aamer and I had spoken at the time and took some senior counsel advice as well,” Yousaf wrote. “ It was pretty clear there was a case there, but it would be an absolute distraction from the job I had to do as first minister, and give Elon Musk and his views more oxygen.”
He added: “Without a doubt, there was at least a case, though it’s always tricky to predict [the outcome] in defamation cases, given rightly the importance of freedom of speech.
“But I think it would have just dragged on and been a saga and distraction that I didn’t require. I had no desire to be further distracted by Elon Musk than I’d already been at that point.”
Yousaf’s memoir recounts the four weeks in October 2023 when Yousaf's mother and father-in-law were trapped in Gaza, and his efforts to secure their safe passage home to Scotland.
Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla (below), the parents of Nadia El-Nakla, were visiting relatives in Gaza when Israel's brutal onslaught began following the events of October 7.
They became trapped for four weeks before leaving through the Rafah Crossing in Egypt with other British nationals.
The book is set to blend political insight with testimonies from family members, considering themes of "leadership under pressure, identity and the human cost of global conflict".
Yousaf also reflects on his time in office, the scrutiny and expectations of leadership and the "emotional toll of navigating crises both as a national leader and as a son-in-law, husband and father".
The memoir is scheduled to be published by Bridge Street Press on October 1.
