Programme for Government: Has Humza Yousaf done enough to win over the critics?

Mr Yousaf’s first Programme for Government outlines his policy agenda for the year ahead. He described it as “unashamedly anti-poverty and pro-growth”.

It was an opportunity to be “explicit” about his driving mission, he said. “So let me make it abundantly clear, we are a government who will maximise every lever at our disposal to tackle the scourge of poverty in our country,” he said.

“We have adopted progressive tax and spending policies to face those challenges, and I will never shy away from the belief that those who earn the most should pay the most. But let me be equally clear, without any equivocation, we also need to support economic growth. Not for its own sake, but so we can tackle poverty and improve our public services.”

His nerves perhaps showed as he stumbled over some words during his 35-minute speech in the Scottish Parliament. Around half an hour in, a class of schoolchildren stood up and filed out of the public gallery. Mr Yousaf will hope this wasn’t out of boredom.

There was a big focus on expanding access to childcare. The Government will “accelerate the next phase in our expansion of childcare for families with two-year-olds”, Mr Yousaf said, as well as providing funding for six early adopter council areas to increase access to childcare from nine months through to the end of primary school.

As part of a pitch to women and families, he also announced more scope for parents to manage their childcare so it meets their needs, and confirmed staff in the sector will be paid a minimum of £12 an hour from April. Pay for social care staff will also be boosted to this level.

Elsewhere, Mr Yousaf highlighted his bid to forge “a new and stronger relationship with business”. The First Minister wants to make clear his drive to reduce poverty will go hand-in-hand with a pro-business outlook. Economic growth is a key part of his vision.

His predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon, was often seen as unfriendly to firms, and Mr Yousaf wants to move away from this.

Critics will say detailed announcements were thin on the ground, and surprises few and far between. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar dismissed Mr Yousaf’s statement as “tired and rehashed”. Tory leader Douglas Ross was just as brutal. “All Humza Yousaf can offer Scotland is a poor Nicola Sturgeon tribute act,” he said.

The police investigation into the SNP’s finances has dominated Mr Yousaf’s time in office, overshadowing big moments and leaving him struggling to get onto the front foot. It has too often left him reacting to headlines instead of setting out his own priorities. This was his chance to seize the agenda.

But while his supporters will applaud the First Minister’s stated focus on banishing poverty, his critics – including those in the SNP – are unlikely to be won over by today’s performance.