Scottish Government: What is a motion of no confidence? How does it work? When would the vote happen?

Anas Sarwar says he no longer has confidence in the Scottish Government after they ditched their power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens

Humza Yousaf has now resigned as First Minister - but that’s not enough for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

Mr Sarwar is pressing ahead with a vote of no confidence in the entire Scottish Government.

But what exactly is a no confidence vote, and what can we expect to see happen over the next few days?

We take a look at all you need to know about the coming vote of no confidence

What is a no confidence motion?

Any MSP can table a no confidence motion in the Scottish Parliament - it basically indicates they no longer have confidence in either a government minister, the Cabinet or, in this case, the First Minister.

If the motion is supported by at least 25 MSPs, the parliamentary bureau will schedule a debate, where all MSPs will be asked to vote. The vote is won by a simple majority.

Mr Sarwar’s motion is being heard as it has already been signed by more than 25 MSPs.

When will we get a vote?

Generally speaking MSPs need to be given two sitting days’ notice of a no confidence vote - that means the vote will be held on Wednesday afternoon.

The debate is scheduled for 2.50pm, but the vote will not happen until 5pm.

What happens if the Scottish Government loses the vote of no confidence?

If the government loses the vote of no confidence, all ministers would need to resign and parliament would be dissolved, leading to a Scottish election.

This is different from what would have happened if Humza Yousaf had lost a vote of no confidence in him as First Minister - in that situation, he would have been under no obligation to go, although it would have been difficult for him to not.

What happens if the Scottish Government wins the no confidence vote?

Technically speaking, nothing - the Scottish Government would continue on as an SNP minority government and the search for a new First Minister would continue.

Who is voting for the no confidence motion?

The motion has been lodged by Scottish Labour and has been backed by all its MSPs as well as a handful of Scottish Conservative and Scottish Lib Dem MSPs.

However they will need the backing of the Scottish Greens if they are to win their vote against the government, and that looks unlikely as they have urged Labour to drop the motion.

Who is voting in favour of the Scottish Government?

Unsurprisingly, the SNP - but we understand the Scottish Greens will also vote in favour of the government.

What will the presiding officer do?

Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone is officially politically neutral in all of this. As such, she would be expected to vote for the status quo, meaning she would vote in favour of keeping the current Scottish Government. 

Will there be a Scottish election?

It’s certainly not off the table.

If Mr Sarwar’s motion of no confidence in the government wins, then all government ministers will need to resign and parliament would be dissolved, potentially triggering a Scottish election.

The other option is if parliament cannot agree on a new First Minister within 28 days of Humza Yousaf’s resignation - at that point parliament would be dissolved and that could lead to an election.