Kate Forbes

Gender recognition reform bill has significantly affected internal culture of the SNP, exposing party divisions in public.

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Ms Forbes, Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan are running to become SNP leader and First Minister.

On Tuesday morning, she tweeted: “We must be full throated in our support of equal marriage. “I wish her well- she’s extremely talented. But I have red lines. I won’t be supporting Kate’s campaign on that basis. Ms Forbes later said she regrets the pain caused by her comments. “I understand people have very strong views on these matters.

It seems that Kate Forbes' stance on same-sex marriage hasn't gone down too well with some of her more socially liberal backers. Within 24 hours of ...

Consequently, I am unable to continue to support Kate’s campaign.’ [Clare Haughey](https://twitter.com/haughey_clare/status/1627931291092979715)MSP – ‘I absolutely and completely support equal marriage. And this is one.’ [Tom Arthur](https://twitter.com/ThomasCArthur/status/1627943752944721921)MSP – ‘Equal marriage is amongst our Parliament’s greatest achievements and one that I would have been proud to vote for had I been an MSP when it was passed. As if that wasn’t enough, the candidate herself had to endure a gruelling morning media round today. However, I agree we can’t have a Party Leader who’d vote against same sex marriage.’ [Gillian Martin](https://twitter.com/GillianMSP/status/1627918004523507713)MSP – ‘We must be full throated in our support of equal marriage. [Richard Lochhead](https://twitter.com/RichardLochhead/status/1627800350739554307)MSP – ‘I welcomed my colleague Kate Forbes’ decision to join the SNP leadership contest given her talents & felt it would give us a real contest: new ideas and a new approach that we desperately need. Within 24 hours of announcing her candidacy, the Finance Secretary’s campaign has actually gone backwards, managing to lose four MSPs following an interview in which she said that she would not have supported gay marriage as a ‘matter of conscience.’ That was enough for some of her SNP colleagues at Holyrood.

Ms Forbes, Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan are running to become SNP leader and First Minister.

On Tuesday morning, she tweeted: “We must be full throated in our support of equal marriage. “I wish her well- she’s extremely talented. But I have red lines. I won’t be supporting Kate’s campaign on that basis. Ms Forbes later said she regrets the pain caused by her comments. “I understand people have very strong views on these matters.

The SNP leader and first minister hopeful has admitted she would have voted against gay marriage in Scotland at the time it was made legal almost a decade ...

But I will not roll back on any rights that already exist in That doesn't necessarily allow for much nuance. "My position on these matters is that I will defend to the hilt everybody's rights in a pluralistic and tolerant society, to live and to love free of harassment and fear." "Under Angela Merkel's leadership, she held a vote on same-sex marriage, she implemented the results of that vote to introduce the legal right to equal marriage, but she voted in line with her conscience." The finance secretary earlier admitted she would have voted against gay marriage in Scotland at the time it was made legal almost a decade ago. The SNP leader and first minister hopeful has admitted she would have voted against gay marriage in Scotland at the time it was made legal almost a decade ago.

MSPs who previously backed Forbes withdrew support after she said she would not have voted for equal marriage legislation.

Cheung, who says she joined the party in 2019 “because of its pro-LGBTQ values”, added: “We all understand an individual’s right to practise their faith, but this should not be done at expense of our right to love. She repeated the position reported by many outlets on Monday night, including the Guardian: “I will defend to the hilt everybody’s right in a pluralistic and tolerant society to live and to love free of harassment and fear. [Scotland](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/scotland) are barred either to people of faith or … Clare Haughey, the minister of children and young people, who had earlier nominated Forbes for her “skills, knowledge, experience”, responded: “I absolutely and completely support equal marriage. The third candidate to put herself forward, Ash Regan, a former minster who resigned over Holyrood’s gender recognition bill, has yet to speak at length to the media. It looks like she wasn’t prepared to take it.”

The MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch also said transgender double rapist Isla Bryson "is a man" as she campaigns to become the next SNP leader and ...

When asked what's the wildest thing she's ever done, Ms Forbes said: "Riding a motorbike. She added: "For me, it would be wrong according to my faith, but for you I have no idea what your faith is. She stated: "On day one of becoming first minister, I will be setting out my plans and policies to deliver economic growth and to ensure that the NHS is on a sustainable footing." [controversial case of transgender double rapist Isla Bryson](https://news.sky.com/story/women-not-at-risk-of-harm-when-transgender-rapist-isla-bryson-housed-in-female-only-jail-says-prison-service-review-12806993), Ms Forbes stated: "A rapist cannot be a woman and therefore my straight answer would be that Isla Bryson is a man." "In terms of my faith, my faith would say that sex is for marriage and that's the approach that I would practice." The MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch also said transgender double rapist Isla Bryson "is a man" as she campaigns to become the next SNP leader and Scotland's first minister.

Ms Forbes, who wants to become Scotland's next first minister, has lost the support of several MSPs after admitting she would have voted against gay ...

Ms Forbes later said she regrets the pain caused by her comments. “I understand people have very strong views on these matters. That doesn’t necessarily allow for much nuance. But I have red lines. I won’t be supporting Kate’s campaign on that basis. I wish her well- she’s extremely talented.

Ms Forbes, Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan are running to become SNP leader and First Minister.

On Tuesday morning, she tweeted: “We must be full throated in our support of equal marriage. “I wish her well- she’s extremely talented. But I have red lines. I won’t be supporting Kate’s campaign on that basis. Ms Forbes later said she regrets the pain caused by her comments. “I understand people have very strong views on these matters.

The current Scottish Finance Secretary is one of three candidates currently standing to replace Nicola Sturgeon as both First Minister and SNP leader. But Ms ...

She told BBC Radio Scotland: “I understand people have very strong views on these matters. Ms Regan is also opposed to the legislation – which has been blocked by Westminster – and stepped down from her role as community safety minister last year so she could vote against the Bill. Ms Regan took to Twitter to indicate her support for same-sex marriage, saying simply “love is love”, while Mr Yousaf stated he would “always fight for the equal rights of others”. The Finance Secretary said: “My position on these matters is that I will defend to the hilt everybody’s rights in a pluralistic and tolerant society, to live and to love free of harassment and fear.” Ms Forbes was on maternity leave following the birth of her first child last year when she launched her campaign to succeed Ms Sturgeon on Monday. But Ms Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, lost some of her high profile supporters in the leadership contest after she said she would not have voted for gay marriage.

Prominent MSPs who previously backed her Scottish National Party leadership bid withdraw support and LGBT+ party members describe their 'anger and shock'

“The risk is that we are saying certain public offices in Scotland are barred either to people of faith or … She repeated the position reported by many outlets on Monday night, including the Guardian: “I will defend to the hilt everybody’s right in a pluralistic and tolerant society to live and to love free of harassment and fear. Her comments revealed deep divisions between her and the frontrunner, Scottish health secretary Humza Yousaf, on LGBT+ rights. It looks like she wasn’t prepared to take it.” Clare Haughey, the minister of children and young people, who had earlier nominated Ms Forbes for her “skills, knowledge, experience”, responded: “I absolutely and completely support equal marriage. [Ireland’s first ambassador to Ukraine: ‘To see the pain inflicted by this unjustified invasion really resonates with me’](/world/europe/2023/02/21/ukraine-to-see-the-pain-inflicted-by-this-unjustified-and-unprovoked-invasion-really-resonates-with-me/) [Bucha rises from the ashes: ‘We have to fight and rebuild at the same time.

The current Scottish Finance Secretary is one of three candidates currently standing to replace Nicola Sturgeon as both First Minister and SNP leader. But Ms ...

She told BBC Radio Scotland: “I understand people have very strong views on these matters. Ms Regan is also opposed to the legislation – which has been blocked by Westminster – and stepped down from her role as community safety minister last year so she could vote against the Bill. Ms Regan took to Twitter to indicate her support for same-sex marriage, saying simply “love is love”, while Mr Yousaf stated he would “always fight for the equal rights of others”. Ms Forbes was on maternity leave following the birth of her first child last year when she launched her campaign to succeed Ms Sturgeon on Monday. But Ms Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, lost some of her high profile supporters in the leadership contest after she said she would not have voted for gay marriage. She has now said that having children outside of marriage “would be wrong according to my faith” and is something she would personally “seek to avoid”.

'It'd be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,' Badenoch said of Forbes.

Pointing to her role as “guardian” of the U.K.’s Equality Act, which includes religious protections, Badenoch said: “To ask me to criticize someone for their religious beliefs, when I’m supposed to be safeguarding it, shows that those people don’t understand equality. “It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election,” Badenoch said of Forbes. “I think that is sad because I believe in freedom of conscience,” she said of the backlash.

We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Scottish politics news every morning. Kate Forbes, Scotland's finance secretary, suffered a ...

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Ms Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, has also said that having children outside of marriage is "wrong" according to her faith. She said people ...

She is hoping that the SNP's membership will chew this matter over in a different way to the frantic pace of online discourse. The winner is due to be announced on 27 March. And that is the nuance that we need to capture on equal marriage. Minister for children and young people, Ms Haughey, who had previously nominated Ms Forbes for leader, posted: "I absolutely and completely support equal marriage. I think my track record on equality issues speaks loud and clear. "We have a large party membership, most of whom are not on Twitter, and I understand that people have very strong views on these matters. But I have red lines. I wish her well - she's extremely talented. Lorna Hood, a former moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said it was "disingenuous" of Ms Forbes to claim that "mainstream" Christianity teaches that marriage should exclusively be between a man and a woman. That doesn't necessarily allow for much nuance." The church is often colloquially known as the Wee Frees - a term it dislikes - and was formed in 1900 by members of the original Free Church of Scotland who refused to be part of the merger with the United Presbyterian Church that formed the United Free Church of Scotland. Ms Forbes said she would have voted against gay marriage in Scotland when it was made legal in 2014 because it clashed with her views as a member of the evangelical Free Church of Scotland that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

First minister hopeful lost backers and was fiercely criticised after saying she would have opposed equal marriage legislation.

Cheung, who says she joined the party in 2019 “because of its pro-LGBTQ values”, added: “We all understand an individual’s right to practise their faith, but this should not be done at expense of our right to love. “I will defend to the hilt everybody’s right in a pluralistic and tolerant society to live and to love free of harassment and fear. And in the same way I hope others can be afforded the rights as people of faith to practise fairly mainstream teaching. The third candidate to put herself forward after Sturgeon’s shock resignation last Wednesday, Ash Regan, resigned as a government minister over Holyrood’s gender recognition bill. A source working closely with Forbes’ campaign acknowledged the past 24 hours had been “bruising”, but underlined that she had always been honest about her religious beliefs and that her refusal to “put up a pretence in order to win votes” was a sign of integrity. By lunchtime on Tuesday, the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch had lost at least half of her original MP and MSP supporters, as she doubled down on her “straight-talking”, telling Sky News that having children – and sex – outside marriage was “wrong according to my faith”.

Ms Forbes is expected to take time out of the media spotlight on Wednesday as she attempts to reset her campaign for the SNP leadership following ...

"Kate has said she would not impose her views on others. Mr Thompson, the convenor of Christians for Independence, added: "Angela Merkel voted against gay marriage even though it was passed by her parliament. And she said she would "defend to the hilt everybody's right in a pluralistic and tolerant society to live and to love free of harassment and fear". She also said that she personally considers it "wrong" for children to be born outside marriage because of her faith as a member of the Free Church of Scotland, which opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. Ms Forbes is expected to take time out of the media spotlight on Wednesday as she attempts to reset her campaign for the SNP leadership following controversy over a series of interviews she gave on Monday and Tuesday. A campaign source told the BBC that she intends to "fight on" and that any speculation she is going to pull out of the contest is wrong.

Watching Kate Forbes struggle to reconcile her social conservatism with her ambition to be First Minister of Scotland has been excruciating.

Whereas previous SNP leaders could have been accused of being neoliberals in progressive clothing, Forbes seems happy to embrace her economic conservatism in much the same way she has not shied away from her social conservatism. That type of fiscal traditionalism is in line with the views of old-school Westminster Tories. The Growth Commission proposed a currency arrangement known as ‘sterlingisation’, which would mean unofficially continuing to use sterling outside of any formal monetary union with the rest of the UK. The SNP and the Commission furiously tried to spin this as not amounting to austerity, as public spending would be increasing in real terms (this was, of course, before the return of high inflation we’ve seen recently). One of the recommendations of the Commission’s report was for total public expenditure (excluding debt interest) to increase by 1 per cent less per year than GDP for the first decade of independence. The outcome was another unrealistic plan for cutting Scotland away from the economic base it has been an integral part of since before the industrial revolution.

Ms Forbes, who is running to be SNP leader, has said she believes marriage is 'between a man and a woman'. Ms Badenoch said she admires the honesty.

“I actually admire her for not being dishonest. She insisted the move was "not a reaction to short term pressures" - a comment percieved as reference to a She said the decision was "right for me, and my party, and my country."

Deputy first minister John Swinney intervenes as activists call for Forbes to withdraw from leadership campaign.

It is lamentable that Kate’s honest adherence to simple traditional values would, for some, disqualify her from contributing to the public good of Scotland.” It’s been unhelpful that the debate has been focused on the question of faith because in my view, it’s got nothing to do with faith,” he said. However, to say mainstream Christianity teaches that marriage is between man and women is being disingenuous.” Humza’s vision for the future government of Scotland is a progressive one.” I don’t think Kate, the party or the cause gain from any of this. “So we can’t really have any complaints about the democratic airing and resolution of this question.”