Finance Secretary Kate Forbes announces SNP leadership bid
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes is the frontrunner in the leadership race
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has launched her campaign to become the next leader of the SNP as the contest to become the next First Minister gets underway.
The MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch has been touted as the frontrunner in the race after Friday’s poll by The Scotsman found that 18% of SNP voters backed her to lead the party – four percentage points ahead of Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson who has since announced he will not be standing.
Ms Forbes’ bid has been met with controversy in recent days after facing criticism over her religious beliefs – including a lack of support for same sex marriage and notable silence on endorsing abortion rights.
City of Edinburgh Councillor Marco Biagi said on Twitter: “The only evidence I can see of Kate Forbes being a social conservative is her anti-abortion call at the Brian Souter event and her repeated refusal to say she supports equal marriage, such as on this podcast.
“For me, that is enough.”
