Senior sources said that before the First Minister had taken the decision to resign, power brokers within the party were lining John Swinney up to take over.
Nicola Sturgeon was in talks with senior SNP ministers as Humza Yousaf was forced out of his job by those who feared Alex Salmond could seize back control of the SNP.
Robin McAlpine, of the Common Weal think tank, said: “The thing that killed him off quite clearly was that the establishment machine got a sniff that he was showing insufficient hatred towards Alba and they knifed him. “Swinney has been talking about unity but the truth is that for personal reasons these people will never find common ground with the Salmond wing of the party which wants to drop gender based identity politics and the Green Party, and return to sharp focus on the economy, public services and independence.”
A source told the Sunday Mail: “There was a decision before the full cabinet that the Bute House Agreement was to be terminated. “Patrick and Lorna then went into the cabinet meeting where they were handed letters from Humza and the rest of the cabinet members in the SNP were thumping the table and cheering.
Regan tells us that she wants him to prioritise independence, Grangemouth and safeguarding women and children. But behind the scenes, senior figures were becoming increasingly furious at the prospect of Alex Salmond’s reemergenceThe First Minister believed an agreement with Regan could still save him, but the Sunday Mail’s front page which declared “Humza: I’ll work with Salmond” sent SNP officials into meltdown.
“If he had been stronger Humza would have told them where to go, but by Sunday night he was no longer in control of his own destiny.’Regan texts the FM asking him if they are meeting. The FM calls her and said her requests to give him her support are “very reasonable”.Salmond later tells reporters: “The reason he didn’t do a deal with Alba is because there are forces within his own party who stopped him doing it – let’s call them the old guard.
Alex Salmond John Swinney Nicola Sturgeon Scottish Government
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