Humza Yousaf “skipped the key vote on gay marriage” because of his religious views, a source claims

SNP leader Humza Yousaf deliberately skipped the final vote on same-sex marriage in the Scottish Parliament because of his religious views, a former colleague claimed yesterday.

Former Scottish Health Secretary Alex Neil claimed Mr Yousaf, a Muslim, asked permission to miss the crucial 2014 vote because he was “under so much pressure from the mosque”.

He claimed Scottish Government business was organized for him as an “excuse” to miss the vote and claimed his former colleague was “dishonest” about his reasons for not attending.

The bombshell allegations come after Mr Yousaf’s main rival, the devout Christian Kate Forbes, sparked an outcry within the SNP for saying she had voted against same-sex marriage.

However, an ally of Mr Yousaf insists he has never raised any concerns with him about the same-sex marriage bill.

SNP leader Humza Yousaf deliberately skipped the final vote on same-sex marriage in the Scottish Parliament because of his religious views

Former Scottish Health Secretary Alex Neil claimed Mr Yousaf, a Muslim, asked permission to miss the crucial 2014 vote because he was “under so much pressure from the mosque”.

Mr Yousaf, the current Scottish Health Secretary, has said repeatedly this week that while Islam is opposed to gay marriage, it does not use its faith as a basis for legislation.

But Mr Neil said: “I was the Cabinet Secretary who got the Equal Marriage Bill through Parliament for the Government and three weeks before the vote, which unlike the CRR was a free vote [Gender Recognition Reform]… Humza went to Alex Salmond as First Minister and asked permission to skip the vote because, quote, “he was under so much pressure from the Mosque,” unquote.

“So Alex agreed and allowed him to go and organize a ministerial meeting which wasn’t organized until 19 days later I think…which was his excuse for missing the vote.

“So if he’s so committed to the principle of equal marriage, why did he deliberately maneuver it into skipping the vote and not being there and not honestly stating his reasons? That’s not leadership, to be honest, that’s absolute discouragement.”

He said he knew about the issue because he was the minister who took the bill through Parliament and had been informed who would be there to vote for it.

On Mr Yousaf’s claim that he does not use his faith as a basis for legislation, Mr Neil said: “I think what I have just told you proves that is not the case.

“His reason for skipping the vote was because he didn’t want to upset the people in the mosque, he was afraid of the pressure in the mosque.

“I would have thought that in this case it proves that he was motivated by the opinion in the mosque and was afraid to stand up for what he believed in.”

The bombshell allegations come after devout Christian Kate Forbes faced an outcry within the SNP for saying she had voted against same-sex marriage

When asked about the claims, Mr Salmond said: “Alex Neil, as Health Secretary, and I, as First Minister, passed the Marriage Equality Bill as a vote of conscience.

“That is one of the reasons why the initially controversial legislation became the firm will of Parliament and the people. The Gender Recognition Act would have benefited immeasurably from a similar approach.

“Therefore, each MSP was left to vote or not to vote according to their own conscience.”

Ms Forbes has been heavily criticized by SNP politicians since she said in a series of interviews on the first day of her campaign that she would have voted against same-sex marriage had she participated in the 2014 poll.

Responding to Mr Neil’s claims, Mr Yousaf said: “I was proud to vote in favor of the Equal Marriage Bill in the Scottish Parliament.

“I was a vocal advocate of marriage equality at the time and I remain unequivocal in that position.

“As your First Minister of the SNP, and as someone from a minority myself, I will stand up and stand up for equal rights for all.”

In November 2013, Mr Yousaf voted in favor of the Marriage and Civil Partnerships Act (Scotland) but missed the crucial final vote on the Act, which went through Holyrood on 4 February 2014.

Joe FitzPatrick, who was Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs in the SNP government during the passage of the bill, said: “I was Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs in the government at the time.

When asked about the allegations, Mr Salmond said it is “incumbent on every MSP to vote or not to vote according to their own conscience”.

“All the arrangements for allowing ministers to carry out important government business during the votes in Parliament were handled and approved by myself.

“While other ministers expressed concerns about the bill at the time, Humza was not among them. Humza gave the law his full support when it was first voted through Parliament and he remains a staunch ally of the LGBTQ+ community to this day and beyond.”

Asked yesterday if he skipped the vote on purpose, Mr Yousaf said: “I have already said no and it is incredible that in the years that have passed since no one has ever raised the issue.

“It tells me quite conveniently that it’s happening during a run for election leadership.”

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk