HUMZA Yousaf has proposed making Nicola Sturgeon a “global ambassador for Scottish independence”, if he wins the SNP leadership race.
The Health Secretary made the suggestion during the last hustings before voting opens on Monday during a discussion about steps to advance the case for independence.
He said: “I’ve often said, though I haven’t asked her, I must do that, that a great global ambassador for Scottish independence would be none other than Nicola Sturgeon.
“I think she would do a fantastic job, well-respected across the world and I think we should use her to make that case of an independent Scotland re-joining the European Union.”
It came as Yousaf said Scotland should use its limited space on the international stage to lay the groundwork for global support for independence, including reiterating his plans for an SNP presence in Brussels.
Rival candidate Ash Regan has previously suggested the SNP ought to look at joining the European Free Trade Association (Efta) before re-joining the EU – warning the process of regaining access to the trading bloc could take decades.
Yousaf addressed this in Aberdeen on Sunday, saying: “We must never cede any ground on this argument that we want an independent Scotland to re-join the European Union – not Efta, not anything else. Nothing else other than re-joining the European Union.”
He suggested a key plank of independence campaigning under his leadership would be emphasising the unique deal Northern Ireland enjoys under Rishi Sunak’s revised agreement with the EU, allowing the province access to the single market without full membership of the EU.
Meanwhile, Kate Forbes said her priorities were talking to Scots not persuaded by the case for independence.
She said: “I think a successful first minister will be one who draws people in and I believe we can do that but we need to talk to, listen to those who are not yet persuaded by independence.”
The Finance Secretary also suggested building global links to boost the case for independence prior to leaving the Union, saying doing so would ensure “as seamless a transition as possible”.
She added: “That’s what matters from an economy perspective, that’s what matters to those who are asking, ‘What do the first few days of independence look like?’”
It comes after Chris Law was appointed by former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford to serve in a similar role to the one preposed for Sturgeon by Yousaf.
The Dundee West MP was last week made the party’s international engagement ambassador, a role which Blackford said would be “crucial to establishing important relationships that may prove vital in the near future”.
Law said: “This new role will help us to open and build upon both new and established relationships with parliamentarians and prominent figures around the world, and complement the work already carried out by our excellent front-bench foreign affairs teams in both the Scottish Parliament and the House of Commons.”
