London:
Scottish leader Humza Yousaf resigned on Monday, further opening the door for Britain's opposition Labor party to regain ground in its former Scottish heartlands in national elections expected later this year.
Yousaf resigned as head of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) after a week of chaos caused by his scrapping of a coalition deal with the Scottish Greens.
He then failed to gain enough support to survive votes of no confidence expected against him later this week.
Just over a year after replacing Nicola Sturgeon as first minister and SNP leader, Yousaf resigned, saying it was time for someone else to lead Scotland's devolved government.
The SNP's fortunes are shaky due to a funding scandal and Sturgeon's resignation as party leader last year. There has also been disagreement over how progressive its stance should be as it tries to win back voters.
Caught between defending the coalition government's progressive record and demands from some nationalists to jettison gender recognition reforms and refocus on the economy, Yousaf was unable to strike a balance that would ensure his survival would insure.
The SNP is losing popular support after 17 years in charge of the Scottish government. Earlier this month, polling firm YouGov said the Labor Party had overtaken the SNP in voting intentions for Westminster elections for the first time in a decade.
Labor's resurgence in Scotland adds to the challenge facing British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party, which is far behind Labor in British opinion polls.
The Scottish Parliament now has 28 days to choose a new First Minister before an election is forced, with former SNP leader John Swinney and Yousaf's former leadership rival Kate Forbes seen as possible successors.
If the SNP fails to find a new leader who can command support in Parliament, a Scottish election will be held.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)