London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 01, 2026

Humza Yousaf: Can new SNP leader represent South Asian Scots?

Humza Yousaf: Can new SNP leader represent South Asian Scots?

Humza Yousaf has made history as the first Muslim to lead a country in western Europe.

As the new leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he's taken over from Nicola Sturgeon as the country's first minister.

It makes him the first ethnic minority leader of a devolved government and the first Muslim to lead a major UK party.

BBC Newsbeat went to one of Scotland's most diverse areas to see what people there think about the new leader.

From the halal bakery to the Asian jewellers and colourful clothes shops, the Pollokshields area of Glasgow is full of South Asian influences.

Humza says he's keen to support communities like this one, which is in his constituency and also faces problems with deprivation and poverty.

So do people living in the area think having a leader from a South Asian background will help them?

Ismail says their new leader is more relatable than Nicola Sturgeon


Ismail Ahmed, who we spoke to on Albert Drive - billed as one of the most diverse streets in Scotland - thinks so.

"As a South Asian myself I think it's a pretty good thing our community is being represented," the 20-year-old says.

"I feel like Pakistanis, or even just South Asians in general, don't really have a big representation.

"And now that the first minister, the person that's controlling the country, is a South Asian, it just shows that there'll be more representation."

Humza was widely seen as being the preferred candidate of the SNP establishment - including Nicola Sturgeon herself.

"I'm Pakistani South Asian. So I feel like he's more relatable than Nicola Sturgeon was," Ismail tells Newsbeat.

"I feel like she was doing a pretty good job. So if he's able to continue and maintain what she was doing, I think that's good enough."

Nadia hopes Humza will help to give the diverse community of Pollokshields a voice


Nadia Anwar owns a clothes shop on the street and thinks Humza being the new leader could be massive for giving the community the confidence to speak up.

"There's a lot of things that need to get done. I feel the Asian community will be more forward speaking to somebody that is of ethnic minority, because sometimes our voice doesn't really get heard," she says.

"There's some people that are from Pakistan, from India, from Bangladesh, and they don't have anybody to actually call up to and say 'look this is my problem'.

"Because he's from that same kind of cultural background I feel as though he'll be able to understand more.

"He might not necessarily be able to help them, but then it's a good way of the Asian community being involved in politics.

"Because that's another thing as well, there's not a lot of ethnic minority people within the political environment. And I feel that that will be a good thing."

Talha wants their new leader to help stamp out racism and discrimination


Humza's dad is originally from Pakistan and emigrated to Scotland with his family in the 1960s, while his mother was born into a South Asian family in Kenya.

He's often spoken of the racist abuse he has received and called the police after allegedly receiving threats at the start of the leadership contest.

Talha Moqsud, 31, hopes having a Muslim leader will help the community deal with racism and discrimination.

"I think it's very important for us as Muslims, it gives us a little bit more hope," he says.

"Just hopefully [he] could bring in more opportunities for us. And get rid of any kind of discrimination [and] racism that still kicks about."

Another person on Albert Drive was 18-year-old Zirva.

She agrees with Nadia about their new leader being able to represent their community at the top table of Scottish politics.

"It's definitely good to have representation," she says.

"Obviously in the Western world, it's hard to see somebody that looks like you and has the same kind of beliefs to make up there so it's quite good."

So now he's officially the new leader, can Humza deal with all of the issues in Scotland at the moment?

"I'll be honest with you, I don't know," Nadia says.

"I hope he does well, I'll have every faith in him but we'll see."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
United Nations Secretary-General Warns Global Order Facing Highest Level of Conflict Since 1945
Israel Issues Sweeping Evacuation Orders in Southern Lebanon Amid Intensified Hezbollah Conflict
Russia Announces Systemic Military Strikes Targeting Ukrainian Defense and Energy Infrastructure
United States and Iranian Negotiators Reach Draft Agreement to Extend Ceasefire and Resume Nuclear Talks
United Nations Security Council Deeply Divided Over United States Capture of Venezuelan President
US and Iran Exchange Direct Military Strikes Amid Fragile Gulf Ceasefire
World Health Organization Warns of Catastrophic Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo
Russia Threatens New Wave of Strikes on Ukrainian Infrastructure and Embassies
Scientists Warn Atlantic Ocean Currents Could Collapse Faster Than Projected
Anthropic Reaches $900 Billion Valuation in Historic AI Funding Round
Washington Imposes Crippling Sanctions on Iranian Maritime Authority
Japan and the Philippines Initiate Strategic Intelligence-Sharing Pact
Microsoft Deploys Autonomous Computer-Using AI Agents to Global Markets
Anthropic Secures $45 Billion Compute Infrastructure Agreement With SpaceX
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Resigns Amid Administration Shakeup
Micron Technology Crosses Trillion-Dollar Valuation Amid Unprecedented Hardware Demand
Canada and Germany Finalize Historic Long-Term LNG Export Agreement
China Expands International Travel Restrictions on Domestic AI Researchers
Japan Approves Sweeping Overhaul of National Intelligence Apparatus
Global Airlines Scramble Logistics as Middle East Airspace Remains Fractured
Japan's Naphtha Imports Plunge 47 Percent Amid Strait of Hormuz Closure
Global Crude Prices Retreat Below $96 as Gulf Tensions Momentarily Ease
Generative AI Outperforms Human Baselines in Landmark Global Creativity Study
NASA Partners With Private Aerospace to Unveil Permanent Lunar Base Architecture
South Korean Equity Markets Surge on Next-Generation Memory Chip Frenzy
×