SNP Yousaf fights for trust of activists

January had barely begun when Humza Yousaf made a vigorous pitch to neutralise Scottish Labour's increasingly successful appeals to Scottish National party supporters.

- Libby Brooks & Severin Carrell

Keir Starmer "doesn't need Scotland to win the general election", the SNP leader said, in a direct counter to the Labour leader's message that winning more seats in Scotland was fundamental to a Labour victory.

Instead, Yousaf told party politicians and activists assembled in Glasgow that Scotland needed SNP MPs to keep Starmer "honest" - and he set an ambitious target of winning all six Scottish Conservative seats at the forthcoming general election. The mood was relaxed and convivial; a contrast to the presidential-style launches of his predecessor as first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who blindsided the party when she announced her resignation a year ago this week.

The stakes for Yousaf are very high. Ten years on from the independence referendum, Labour - which has only two Scottish MPs is poised for a dramatic comeback.

Most recent opinion polls show the SNP is facing heavy losses in the general election, potentially losing 24 of its 43 seats. "If the SNP gets around 30 seats then he may be able to hold on, but if it's between 20-25 then it's a different conversation," said one former Holyrood minister.

"Questions will have to be asked," an SNP MP added.

If the losses are substantial, many assume Yousaf will face a leadership challenge in the shape of Kate Forbes, who has maintained a high profile after narrowly losing to Yousaf in the bruising contest to succeed Sturgeon a year ago.