Fiona Bruce shatters Humza Yousaf's independence dream

       Humza Yousaf has been fighting to put out fires as the SNP leader watches his party continue to sink in the polls.

       In an interview with the BBC this week, he admitted that the SNP was facing "one of its most difficult times".

       Mr Yousaf also suggested that the name of the party he leads makes him feel "uncomfortable".

       The Scottish First Minister, who was only elected as party leader less than a year ago, worried that the word 'national' could be "misinterpreted" as "far-right nationalist".

       He told the BBC: "I've never really been comfortable with the fact that we have national in our party's name."

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       Nicola Sturgeon and her husband and former SNP chief exec Peter Murrell were arrested last year (Image: GETTY)

       Mr Yousaf said that the SNP was a "civic national party," which was "rooted in the left and the centre left of political discourse".

       He added: "We're a party that believes it doesn't matter really where you come from - what's important is where are we going together."

       His predecessor Nicola Sturgeon made similar remarks in 2017 when she admitted she would have changed the SNP's name if she could "turn the clock back," describing the word 'national" as "highly problematic".

       However, James Cook, the BBC News Scotland editor, pointed out that Mr Yousaf's "apparent attempt to distance himself from the concept of nationalism seems at odds with his own words as recently as last year when he was running for the leadership of the Scottish National Party".

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       Yousaf defended the invite, which was extended to his Turkish counterpart at the COP28 summit (Image: GETTY)

       Mr Cook highlighted moments during the leadership campaign when Mr Yousaf described himself as a "nationalist".

       Later in the interview, Mr Yousaf admitted that the ongoing police investigation into SNP finances had "clearly" affected the public's trust in the party.

       Mrs Sturgeon, her husband and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, and then-treasurer Colin Beattie were all arrested last summer as part of the police investigation.

       All were released without charge pending further investigation.

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       Mr Yousaf said: “There’s no ifs or buts or maybes about it. There has clearly been an impact in terms of how we were perceived by the public and issues of trust, and I’ve got to work hard, as I hope I have been doing over the last ten months.

       “I’ve got to work hard to make sure that people know, whatever the outcome of that police investigation is, that the SNP is a party that they can trust.

       “It’s been difficult, no doubt, for those involved. But difficult for us as a party and it’s certainly been a challenge for me in my first ten months.”

       This week, he has also faced criticism from his party for inviting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Scotland.

       Recep Edrogan has led Turkey for more than 20 years. (Image: GETTY)

       Mr Yousaf defended the invite, which was extended to his Turkish counterpart at the COP28 summit in December.

       President Erdogan was been condemned by human rights groups for targeting political opponents and cracking down on Kurdish communities.

       Kurdish-born SNP councillor Roza Salih said she was "disgusted" by Mr Yousaf's meeting with Mr Erdogan at the COP summit.

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       Asked about the invite, Mr Yousaf said: "Why on Earth would Scotland not look to seek to engage with a Nato ally and of course with somebody we would seek to do business and trade with?"

       He insisted he would raise human rights concerns with Mr Edrogan, who has led Turkey for more than 20 years.

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