One of the two favourites to be the SNP's next leader has said an independent Scotland could replace King Charles with an elected head of state inside its first five years.
Humza Yousaf told The National he believes the question of whether Scotland moves away from the monarchy to an elected head of state should be considered within the first five years of independence. The republican said he sees himself as a citizen as opposed to a subject and believes it's "important" to make the move within the first few years of breaking from the rest of the UK.
The Scottish health secretary hopes to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and Scotland's first minister but faces competition from rivals Kate Forbes and Ash Regan. Tens of thousands of SNP members have until March 27 to vote in the contest.
He said: "Let's also talk about things like monarchy. I don't know why we should be shy about that, I don't think we should be.
"I've been very clear, I'm a republican. That's never been anything I've hidden."
Mr Yousaf accepted that Scotland's relationship with the King would not be an immediate priority, adding that the establishment of a central bank and a new Scottish currency would have to take precedence. "But let’s absolutely within the first five years consider whether or not we should move away from having a monarchy into an elected head of state," he said.
The 37-year-old's suggestions come only three days after Prince Edward received the title of Duke of Edinburgh to mark his 59th birthday, with his wife Sophie becoming the Duchess of Edinburgh. The couple's son James, Viscount Severn, 15, has assumed his father's previous title - the Earl of Wessex.
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The third televised debate between Mr Yousaf, Ms Forbes and Ms Regan was broadcast on Sky News on Monday night. The two previous debates were ill-tempered affairs punctuated by heated exchanges between Mr Yousaf and his nearest rival Ms Forbes.
The pair clashed over Mr Yousaf's record in government, with Ms Forbes even going as far as to suggest he should be fired from his job as health secretary, the Daily Mail reports. But Mr Yousaf fired back with concerns about Ms Forbes' socially conservative opinions, suggesting the SNP would become significantly more right-wing under her leadership.
Ms Regan, meanwhile, seen by many as the outsider in the contest, took shots at Ms Sturgeon's long tenure at the SNP's helm. She told members the party has "lost its way" and criticised what she perceives as a lack of progress being made on Scottish independence in recent years.
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