Humza Yousaf brands Kate Forbes leadership campaign 'disastrous'

He launched the scathing attack at the former first minister in his new book ‘Under Fire’, where he said her campaign debate strategy “bombed” with SNP members.

Mr Yousaf became first minister in 2023 after winning 26,032 votes to Ms Forbes’s 23,890. Following this, there was a split in the Holyrood SNP group between those who had backed Mr Yousaf, and those who wanted to remain loyal to Ms Forbes.

In his book, Mr Yousaf said the Forbes loyalists “had no intention of playing a constructive role” during his tenure as First Minister. He added the leadership contest had been “an unedifying sight” and his fellow contenders did not have “introspection and reflection” on what happened.

“Shortly after Nicola’s resignation, we had spoken on the phone about running on a joint ticket with me as leader and Kate as my deputy,” he wrote.

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“My powers of persuasion were clearly not good enough, though, and she announced her intention to run for leader herself on the day of my campaign launch.

“Her campaign got off to a disastrous start. She struggled to answer the most predictable questions about how her religious beliefs might conflict with the policies of a progressive political party such as ours.”

Ms Forbes is a member of the Free Church and during the leadership election campaign she said she would have voted against same-sex marriage had she been an MSP in 2014 as it clashed with her views as a member of the church.

She also said she was against sex before marriage and having children out of wedlock, and said she would have voted against gender reform (she had been on maternity leave at the time of the 2022 vote).

John Swinney, who was deputy first minister at the time, said he thought her comments would have “an effect” on her leadership prospects, and told BBC Drivetime: “I personally don’t agree with the comments that Kate has made.”

He later made Ms Forbes his deputy when he succeeded Mr Yousaf as First Minister.

Out for Independence, the LGBT+ group affiliated to the SNP, said it was “incredibly disappointed with the way this leadership campaign has been conducted and the tone and language that have been adopted toward the LGBT+ community”.

Having been the favourite to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister, many MSPs withdrew their support for Ms Forbes and instead backed Mr Yousaf after her comments came to light.

Mr Yousaf said: “The problem for many people was not Kate’s faith but her clumsy articulation of it, alienating minority groups and making them feel, in their own words, as if they didn’t belong in Kate Forbes’ Scotland.

“In the first few days of her campaign, she cast doubt over existing laws - such as same-sex marriage legislation - suggesting she would be open to repealing it. She also managed to insult around half the parents in the country by telling them that having children out of wedlock was wrong.”

Mr Yousaf said the backlash to her comments led to political commentators suggesting “there was no room for people of faith in politics”, but said in his experience “they could not be more wrong”.

“I am a person of faith,” he wrote. “Like anyone, my daily practice can vary, but I pray, fast during Ramadan, eat only halal meat and, most importantly, I believe with conviction in the central tenets of my faith.

“I have never shied away from being a proud Muslim.

“That faith has never stopped me from supporting everyone’s rights - including those of the LGBTQI community, who are often the first in line to defend the rights of Muslims under attack.

“It is, to me, very simple: my rights, as a Muslim and a person of colour, do not exist in a vacuum. You either believe in everyone’s rights, or you are selective in your application of rights. I choose to believe in and advocate for universal rights.”

In his book he acknowledged that her “controversial” comments meant that “almost overnight” Ms Forbes went from “being the runaway favourite” to be the next First Minister, to people questioning her suitability as an MSP.

Mr Yousaf added: “It was probably that feeling of being cornered that led Kate to make an astonishing attack on me, live on television during our first televised debate.

“Not only did Kate trash the record of the SNP government - a government she belonged to - by calling it ‘mediocre’ but she also launched a blistering attack on me: ‘You were a transport minister and the trains were never on time, when you were justice secretary the police were stretched to breaking point, and now, as health minister, we’ve got record high waiting times. What makes you think you can do a better job as First Minister?’

“That stung. But as a tactic to win an internal election contest, it bombed. In fact, it was probably the moment Kate handed the election contest to me on a plate.

“If there is one thing I know about SNP members, they despise friendly fire, especially in public. And publicly dissing the record of Nicola Sturgeon who was, and remains, immensely popular, went down like a bucket of cold sick with our party membership.”

Mr Yousaf then said “the tone became more measured from all of us” over the televised and radio broadcast debates that followed, but said “the damage was done”.

He added: “An overwhelming number of elected MSPs supported my campaign but, after I won, the small faction that was loyal to Kate, were not for making peace.”