Highland MSP Kate Forbes is “still to make up her mind” on whether to run for the SNP leadership, says a government minister.
Momentum is building behind the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, with early endorsements from some SNP colleagues and former party figures.
Business Minister Ivan McKee said Ms Forbes is still to decide whether to throw her hat in the ring but that she would “stand head and shoulders above anyone else”.
The 32-year-old from Dingwall has impressed since being parachuted into the finance brief following the resignation of disgraced Finance Secretary Derek Mackay.
She has become one of the frontrunners to replace Nicola Sturgeon since the SNP leader announced her resignation on Wednesday.
Other potential candidates include former Moray MSP Angus Robertson, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and former community safety minister Ash Regan, who quit over the government’s gender reforms.
Fergus Mutch, former SNP candidate in the north-east, and previously head of political communications for the party, said Ms Forbes has the ability for the role.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry praised Ms Forbes as a potential candidate and she has also attracted the support of Western Isles MSP Angus MacNeil.
One source from within the SNP said he has been “thinking for a while Kate Forbes would be a contender to be the next leader”.
He added: “She has shown a mastery of the brief and the parliament and I have no doubt of her capability.”
Nominations for the first minister’s replacement close on February 24, and voting for SNP members will then begin on March 12, with the ballot closing on March 27.
‘Still to make up her mind’
Ms Forbes, who is on maternity leave after the birth of her first child, Naomi, is remaining tight-lipped over the decision.
But Mr McKee said she is considering whether she wants to run for the leadership and will “talk to family and others over the next couple of days” before a decision.
In an interview with Times Radio, the SNP minister said he did not think questions around the MSP’s faith are “in any way relevant”.
Ms Forbes is a member of the Free Church of Scotland and concerns have been raised over whether this will conflict with key SNP issues such as trans rights.
The Highland MSP was on maternity leave during the recent vote on gender recognition reform but she previously refused to say if she supported the changes.
“The candidate that will stand head and shoulders above anyone else… would be Kate Forbes.”
SNP business minister @Ivan_McKee tells #TimesRadio Kate Forbes would “energise the party” as first minister. pic.twitter.com/rodZJchQRJ
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) February 17, 2023
He said: “I think if we get to the point where we’re saying people of a certain faith can’t hold political office because of their faith, then I think that would be a very concerning situation.
“I think if Kate had a different faith, we absolutely wouldn’t be making those kind of comments.”
On her religious views, the unnamed SNP source said it is “something she’d be wise to address early on”.
“Although I have never seen any evidence of her allowing her faith to compromise the way she seeks to represent people or votes on particular laws”, the source added.
Mr Mutch, a former SNP spin doctor, said Ms Forbes and Mr Robertson are the only two realistic contenders for the position.
He praised Ms Forbes for her expertise on the economy, adding she “commands respect on these issues in boardrooms across the country”.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry said she would like to see “someone with experience of the world outside politics” selected, particularly in business.
She added: “Both Ash Regan and Kate Forbes have this.”