Labour has accused Humza Yousaf of hypocrisy for not calling an immediate Holyrood election. 

During Scotland questions in the Commons, Ian Murray the party’s Shadow Scottish Secretary said the SNP’s repeated calls for a vote following last summer’s Tory leadership contest applied equally to the new First Minister. 

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Mr Murray offered his congratulations to Mr Yousaf, but said that while he “inherits a divided party, and the SNP's dreadful record on public services... what he does not inherit is Nichola Sturgeon's mandate.”

He added: "At the Holyrood election the ballot paper said Nicola Sturgeon for First Minister, not Humza Yousaf.”

The Edinburgh South MP asked Scottish Secretary Alister Jack if he agreed “with me and Humza Yousaf himself when he rightly called for a UK General Election after the prime minister changed twice last year?

"And does he agree that a new First Minister with no mandate means there should not only be a general election now but a Scottish election now too?"

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Mr Jack, who defended the lack of election last year, did not agree on the need for one now. 

"What I'd say is that there is a precedent for political parties voting in new leaders who then assume office.

“We had Henry McLeish replace Donald Dewar, Jack McConnell replaced Henry McLeish, Gordon Brown replaced Tony Blair. Even Nicola Sturgeon replaced her, at the time, great friend and mentor - her words not mine - Alex Salmond. 

"So yes, it will be hypocritical of me to say otherwise, because last year, of course, I defended the change of prime ministers. And I think it's hypocritical of Humza Yousaf to suggest that then that we should have done it and now deafening silence."

Mr Jack also called on Mr Yousaf to put the independence movement “into reverse”.

“I heard him say that he wanted to put the independence drive into fifth gear, and I would gently remind him that most Scots actually want him to put it into reverse – to work with the United Kingdom to tackle the issues that really matter to them.”

The SNP’s Pete Wishart told Mr Jack that the UK was is in trouble “because there is no longer a case for the Union.”

He added: “We know that because a significant number of under-50s now support independence.

"Could he tell us what the Union’s greatest achievement has been in the past few years? 

"Is it a Brexit that Scotland does not support; is it high-rise energy prices in energy-rich Scotland; or is it being run by a bunch of Tories that most of Scotland rejected?"

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Mr Jack said that when the Brexit referendum was 52% to 48%, the SNP politician had called for another referendum. 

“The result of the leadership election was 52% to 48%, and suddenly he is very happy with it. 

“He loves to quote opinion polls to me, but he did not quote any today—I cannot think why.

“All I would say is that the people of Scotland are seeing the strength of this United Kingdom, whether that is through freeports, investment zones, or city and region growth deals. The desire to stay in the United Kingdom gets stronger and stronger.”