Kate Forbes Backs Out of SNP Leadership Race, Endorses John Swinney

Kate Forbes, the former Scottish finance secretary, has announced today that she will not be running for the leadership of the Scottish National Party (SNP), choosing instead to endorse John Swinney, the party’s veteran figure.

The decision by Forbes comes after a whirlwind morning in Scottish politics that saw John Swinney launch his leadership campaign with gusto in Edinburgh, emphasizing his goal of uniting the SNP and Scotland for independence.

Forbes, who played a pivotal role in Nicola Sturgeon‘s cabinet and narrowly missed out on the SNP leadership last year in a contest against Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan, expressed her full support for Swinney’s leadership bid.

In her statement, Forbes highlighted the importance of reform within the Scottish government and echoed Swinney’s vision of bringing back a sense of courtesy and dignity to the party and Parliament conduct.

John Swinney’s rapid rise to the fore of the SNP leadership race today was coupled with Kate Forbes’s decision to step aside from the contest, setting the stage for a potential Swinney-led transformation within the party.

Notable figures in Scottish politics, including Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, have been pivotal in shaping the landscape of the SNP and its leadership contests in recent years, with Forbes and Swinney now at the forefront of the party’s next chapter.

The move by Forbes to back Swinney solidifies a significant shift in the SNP dynamics, with a focus on unity and mainstream governance that echoes Swinney’s call for Scotland’s future.