Gordon Brown 'appalled by treatment of Kate Forbes' after religious backlash
A new book reveals the former prime minister considered making an intervention over the issue
Gordon Brown was “appalled” by the treatment of Kate Forbes over her socially conservative religious views during the SNP leadership election in 2023, a new biography claims.
The book, which will be published next month, says the former prime minister drafted but did not publish “a nuanced but powerful article about Forbes’s downfall”.
Mr Brown is the son of a Church of Scotland minister and has written about how his own faith shaped his political outlook, and how he wishes he was more open about this.
“To expect those of us with strong beliefs to leave them at the door of the House of Commons or No 10 is to require us to bring an incomplete version of ourselves into the public arena,” he wrote in his own memoir, published in 2017.
READ MORE: Kate Forbes: I dodged something 'even more explosive' than bullet by losing SNP leadership bid
Ms Forbes, a member of the socially conservative Free Church of Scotland, ran for the SNP leadership in 2023 after Nicola Sturgeon announced her intention to resign, but ultimately lost to Humza Yousaf.
During the race, the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch faced strong criticism for some of her religious views.
These included saying she would not have voted for gay marriage, and also that having children outside of marriage was “wrong” according to her faith. However, Ms Forbes was also clear she would not seek to impose these views on others.
"For me, it would be wrong according to my faith, but for you I have no idea what your faith is,” she told Sky News in February 2023. “So, in a free society you can do what you want."
She told Channel 4 News: "Marriage between a man and a woman, that is what I practice. But I will not roll back on any rights that already exist in Scotland."
A new biography of Mr Brown reveals he considered making an intervention over the issue.
“The former prime minister has sometimes held back from discussing faith issues, even after strongly considering making interventions,” author James Macintyre writes.
“In February 2023, he was appalled by the way in which politicians and the media turned on Kate Forbes of the SNP, after her bid to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as nationalist party leader and first minister was damaged by her openly expressed evangelical – ‘wee free’ – Christian convictions on traditional marriage.”
The book adds: “In a tentative attempt to express himself in the area of faith, Brown drafted but didn’t publish a nuanced but powerful article about Forbes’s downfall, after consulting with his old friend Rowan Williams, the former archbishop of Canterbury and one of the world’s leading living theologians.
“The two men share a long-standing mutual admiration, and Williams, who made only minor suggestions, thought the piece excellent.”
Dr Williams told the author that Mr Brown “acknowledges that religious conviction has a really significant role in social debate – even when it does not follow the prevailing winds of social consensus”, adding: “He genuinely believes in a society where diverse moral perspectives are free to contest issues in public – with patience and respect.”
Ms Forbes has since announced her intention to quit politics at the Holyrood election in May.
Gordon Brown: Power with Purpose by James Macintyre will be published by Bloomsbury on February 12.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.