Humza Yousaf, Scottish politician
Humza Haroon Yousaf (born 7 April 1985) is a Scottish politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care since 2021. He is the first non-white and first Muslim cabinet minister in the Scottish Government. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Pollok since 2016, having previously represented Glasgow region from 2011 to 2016.
Born and raised in Glasgow, Yousaf attended the University of Glasgow, earning a MA in politics. Before becoming an elected official, he worked as parliamentary assistant for many prominent MSPs including then First Minister Alex Salmond and then Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. In 2011, he became the youngest MSP elected to the Scottish Parliament, at age 26. Yousaf served in numerous junior ministerial roles including: Minister for External Affairs and International Development from 2012 to 2014, Minister for Europe and International Development from 2014 to 2016, and Minister for Transport and the Islands from 2016 to 2018.In Nicola Sturgeon's 2018 cabinet reshuffle, Yousaf was appointed to the Scottish Cabinet as Cabinet Secretary for Justice. As Justice Secretary, he introduced the Hate Crime Bill, which caused controversy from opposition parties. In 2021, he succeeded Jeane Freeman as Health Secretary and since has been leading the Scottish Government's COVID-19 vaccination programme.