Scottish Finance Minister Kate Forbes to run for country’s leadership

SCOTTISH Finance Minister Kate Forbes said on Monday (Feb 20) she would run in the leadership contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and Scotland’s first minister.

Forbes, who was elected to the Scottish parliament in 2016 and took office as finance secretary four years later, becomes the third candidate to announce their intention to stand in the race after Sturgeon’s surprise resignation last week.

Sturgeon’s unexpected exit has left a question mark over the SNP’s fight for independence as the Westminster government has blocked its attempts to hold a second vote after a 2014 referendum when Scotland voted 55 per cent to 45 per cent to remain part of the United Kingdom.

“The choices that we make in the next few weeks will have a profound impact on our future and on our children’s future. I can’t sit back and watch our nation thwarted on the road to self determination,” 32-year-old Forbes said in a video posted on Twitter.

“We need a leader who’s bold, brave and energised, fresh faced and ready for new challenges. Somebody who inspires your confidence as an SNP member, and who inspires the confidence of the people of Scotland to vote for a better future. I am that leader.”

The SNP has said it will choose a new leader within six weeks through a ballot of its members, which will close on Mar 27. Sturgeon will stay on until a successor has been picked.

A fluent Gaelic speaker, Forbes, spent part of her upbringing in Glasgow and India, before going on to study history at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh. Before becoming a Member of Scottish parliament, she worked as an accountant in the banking industry.

Forbes, a Christian, was among senior politicians who urged the Scottish government in 2019 not to rush into gender reform legislation. Sturgeon became embroiled in a row over transgender rights over the divisive bill. It was eventually passed in December but has been blocked by the British government.

Health Minister Humza Yousaf and former minister Ash Regan have said they will run in the contest to replace Sturgeon.

Two other possible contenders, 53-year-old Culture Minister Angus Robertson, a former deputy leader of the party, and John Swinney, the 58-year-old deputy first minister, have ruled themselves out. REUTERS