Kate Forbes gets Scotland’s Deputy First Minister job after agreeing not to contest SNP leadership

John Swinney has appointed Kate Forbes as Scotland’s Deputy First Minister after she extracted a high price for agreeing not to stand against him for the SNP leadership.

Mr Swinney made Ms Forbes his deputy and Economy Secretary in his new Cabinet, giving her responsibility for fixing poor relations between the SNP and Scotland’s business community.

However, he made no other major changes to the Cabinet he inherited from Humza Yousaf, his predecessor, despite a series of debacles that has raised concerns about its competence.

Ms Forbes, 34, is the youngest ever Deputy First Minister after she agreed to give Mr Swinney a clear run for the SNP leadership during face-to-face talks last week. His allies were desperate to avoid a contest following the sudden resignation of Mr Yousaf.

Her appointment was also intended to signal that Mr Swinney is serious about trying to drag the SNP back to the political centre ground after the end of its power-sharing agreement with the hard-Left Greens.

Ms Forbes has previously expressed “significant concerns” about the SNP-Green coalition’s self-ID gender reforms, environmental policies and income tax hikes.

But the Scottish Tories said that, apart from Ms Forbes, Mr Swinney had unveiled “Humza Yousaf’s Cabinet with a different figurehead”. They said her appointment was intended to “gloss over the huge splits in the SNP.”

The Greens also reacted with hostility to Ms Forbes’s appointment. Patrick Harvie, their co-leader and a minister in Mr Yousaf’s government, posted on social media a picture of a road sign stating “No right turn”.

Immensely talented politician

Mr Swinney announced his Cabinet after being sworn in as First Minister at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, with Ms Forbes the first SNP MSP to arrive at his Bute House official residence.

As the most powerful member of Mr Swinney’s administration, other than the First Minister himself, she is in pole position to succeed him if the 60-year-old stands down after the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

He said: “I am very pleased to appoint Kate as Deputy First Minister and look forward to working with her in this new government.

“She is an immensely talented politician, and her new role will prove critical as we focus on our key commitments of eradicating child poverty, investing in public services and supporting economic growth.”

A devout Christian, she triggered uproar in last year’s SNP leadership contest with Mr Yousaf when she expressed opposition to gay marriage and children being born out of wedlock.

Mr Swinney questioned at the time whether her views made her “an appropriate individual to be SNP leader and first minister.”

But he rejected the Green accusations that Ms Forbes’ appointment as his deputy meant he had lurched to the Right, saying the SNP would remain a Centre-Left party.