London: Humza Yousaf, the grandson of a Pakistani immigrant who arrived barely speaking English to work in a sewing machine factory in Glasgow, has been named as the new leader of the Scottish National Party.

Because of his party’s majority, Yousaf will almost certainly be chosen as first minister – the leader of Scotland – by the parliament on Tuesday.

At age 37, Yousaf will be the youngest first minister of Scotland and the first Muslim to run the nation. His mother, wearing a headscarf, dabbed a tear as he spoke after the vote results were announced.

His ascension as Scottish leader comes alongside the prime ministership of Rishi Sunak, a Hindu, whose parents are also South Asian. London’s mayor is Sadiq Khan, a Muslim and son of Pakistani immigrants. Today, Sunak, Khan and Yousaf are three of the most prominent – and powerful – leaders in Britain.

He promised to continue his party’s push to leave the United Kingdom and become a fully independent nation. “We will be the generation that delivers independence,” he vowed on Monday.

But the way forward is unclear. A spokesman for 10 Downing Street said that Sunak would not support another referendum.

Beyond independence, the new leader of the SNP said he would focus on the high cost of living, improving educational opportunities and access to an often overwhelmed National Health Service. The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, said Yousef and his party did “not have the answers on the NHS or on the cost of living crisis”.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, a member of the Scottish parliament, tweeted: “This is just the same old same old. The SNP is tired and out of touch, and it doesn’t look as if Humza Yousaf wants to make that any better”.