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SNP stands at a crossroads - but what direction will party take?

29 April 2024, 19:13 | Updated: 29 April 2024, 21:33

Humza Yousaf will no doubt be riddled with regret at the colossal miscalculation to bin the Greens last week.

His options to fight on, despite the severe headwinds, eventually evaporated and, short of striking a deal with Alex Salmond, he was boxed in.

Mr Yousaf inherited a lot of his problems. The Green pact was signed by Nicola Sturgeon and the ongoing police investigation is out of his control.

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Many senior SNP figures feel governing as a minority government, free from the shackles of the Greens, is exactly what the party needs right now to win back its supporters who have fled.

There is no doubt the SNP is still the biggest political force in Scotland, but a series of controversial policies have grabbed the headlines and dominated all the public narrative.

Mr Yousaf presided over a heavy loss to Labour in the Rutherglen by-election and was defeated in a court battle over the notorious gender recognition reforms.

The biggest focus now is who comes next and the process that follows.

Labour looks set to gain in the polls from any strife the SNP endures - but could a new leader unite the party in a way Mr Yousaf failed?

It got extremely messy when Ms Sturgeon departed last year. No one in the party wants to rip open old wounds.

John Swinney is seen as a party heavyweight and many current cabinet ministers will rally behind him.

But others fear he is yesterday's man and will not deliver that change the SNP must have if it is to cling on to power.

If one-time leadership candidate Kate Forbes throws her hat in the ring, will the Yousaf wing of the party listen to what she has to say? Will they recognise she got almost 50% of the vote in the contest last year?

She is seen by many as competent and controversial. Her leadership could be plagued by old rifts from colleagues who believe her premiership would be a lurch to the right.

The SNP and Scotland stand at a crossroads.

The turmoil is becoming a familiar rhythm in a parliament where views are increasingly entrenched and tribal.