Humza Yousaf has already stoked a right royal row with his party’s hardliners by ditching a pro-independence rally to attend the coronation. And now he’s really gone and done it by leading the Scottish Parliament in a celebration of the event. The SNP leader tabled a motion showering praise on the King and Queen:
That the Parliament congratulates Their Majesties The King and The Queen on the occasion of Their Coronation; expresses its gratitude for Their Majesties’ public service to Scotland, and affirms the deep respect that is held for Their Majesties in Scotland.
Speaking to the motion this afternoon, Yousaf hailed ‘an important constitutional milestone’ and praised the multi-faith nature of the ceremony. He announced that the Scottish Government would use Royal Week in July to ‘present Their Majesties with coronation gifts on behalf of the people of Scotland’. This would symbolise ‘the respect, the good will, that is felt by many people in Scotland for Their Majesties personally’. While acknowledging differing views on the monarchy, Yousaf insisted that ‘the commitment His Majesty has made to serve the people is one which we all share’.
What a difference a couple of months make. Back in March, during the achingly close SNP leadership election, Yousaf undertook to march in the All Under One Banner demonstration on Saturday instead of putting in an appearance at Westminster Abbey. Then he decided that as First Minister he would have to show face and so he promised to find a way to attend both events. Given they took place 400 miles apart and started at the same time, this sounded like a high-speed scooter accident waiting to happen. In the end, the avowed republican chose the coronation over separation and slipped into the Abbey in his finest Highland dress.
It’s the most stunning turnaround on the monarchy since Nicola Sturgeon was caught on camera singing the National Anthem. Perhaps reflecting on his troubled leadership, her successor is already looking to the future and trying to ingratiate himself with the establishment.
‘Arise Sir Humza’ has a certain ring to it…
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