Humza Yousaf

Humza Haroon Yousaf (born 7 April 1985) is a Scottish National Party politician who is the Scottish Government Minister for Transport and the Islands. He has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Pollok constituency since May 2016, having previously been an MSP for the Glasgow region from 2011 to 2016. He was appointed to his first junior ministerial post in 2012, a little over a year after he was first elected to the Scottish Parliament.

Early life and education

Yousaf is the son of immigrants who came to Britain in the 1960s: his mother came from Kenya and his father from Pakistan. Yousaf was educated at Hutchesons' Grammar School, an independent school in Glasgow. He studied Politics at the University of Glasgow, graduating with a MA in 2007.

From an early age, Yousaf was involved in community work, ranging from youth organisations to charity fundraising. He was the volunteer media spokesperson for the charity Islamic Relief, worked for community radio for 12 years and on a project which provided food packages to the homeless and asylum seekers in Glasgow.

Yousaf worked as a Parliamentary assistant for Bashir Ahmad, from Ahmad's election as Scotland's first Muslim MSP in 2007 until Ahmad's death two years later. Ahmad was a personal influence. Yousaf then worked as Parliamentary assistant for a few other MSPs including Anne McLaughlin, Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond who was then the First Minister. In 2008, while working as an aide, Yousaf took part in the IVLP programme, an exchange that is run by the US State Department. He was awarded the “Future Force of Politics” at the Young Scottish Minority Ethnic Awards in 2009, which was presented to him in Glasgow City Chambers.

Scottish Parliament

In May 2011, he was elected to the Scottish Parliament as a regional member for Glasgow. At just 25 years of age, he was the youngest MSP to be elected to the Scottish Parliament. When being sworn in, he took his oath in English then Urdu reflecting his Scottish-Pakistani identity; he was dressed in a traditional sherwani decorated with a Partick Thistle tartan touch and a plaid draped over his shoulder. Yousaf was appointed to the Justice and Public Audit Committees. On 25 May 2011 he was appointed as a Parliamentary Liaison Officer to the Office of the First Minister, remaining in this post until 4 September 2012.

Junior minister

On 5 September 2012, Yousaf became the Minister for External Affairs and International Development after Alex Salmond had undertaken his first major cabinet reshuffle of the parliamentary session. This junior ministerial appointment saw him working under the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs. He is the first Muslim Minister to be appointed to the Scottish Government. Nicola Sturgeon became First Minister in November 2014, keeping Yousaf as a junior minister, although the name of the position he held was changed to the Minister for Europe and International Development. On 18 May 2016 he was moved to the position of Minister for Transport and the Islands in a reshuffle.

Columnist

Yousaf is a columnist for the Evening Times.

Personal life

In December 2016 Yousaf admitted driving a friend's car without the proper insurance.