I was 'slam dunk' for SNP leadership until revealing gay marriage views - Forbes

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Kate Forbes stepped down from the Scottish Parliament at May's election By David Wallace Lockhart Scotland political correspondent Published 2 July 2026 Updated 31 minutes ago Former SNP minister Kate Forbes has claimed that she was viewed as a "slam dunk" for the party leadership until she revealed her views on gay marriage. The ex-deputy first minister was narrowly defeated in a 2023 SNP contest by Humza Yousaf, having been criticised for beliefs she attributed to her Christian faith. Speaking at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference last week, Forbes said she was advised to lie about her views but insisted that the public admired politicians who took difficult stances on matters of integrity. She told the event at London's Olympia that even though she lost out to Yousaf, she "absolutely won the public support". The former MSP, who stepped down from parliament at last month's election, made a speech at the conference and participated in a question and answer session on "the challenge of leading with integrity". Some in the SNP criticised her for speaking at the conference, which featured right-wing figures including Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch and Boris Johnson, as well as supporters of Donald Trump from the United States. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes to stand down as MSP Published 4 August 2025 Being a mum is harder than being deputy first minister, says Kate Forbes Published 21 November 2025 During the question and answer section, Forbes said her 2023 leadership bid was initially viewed "as a bit of a slum dunk", adding: "I was very much in the lead." However, the former minister lost supporters early in the campaign when she revealed she would have voted against same-sex marriage laws - passed in 2014 before she was an MSP - but would not seek to overturn them. A member of the Free Church of Scotland, Forbes also said that having children outside of marriage was "wrong" and faced criticism for her views on abortion and trans rights. Asked if it had been hard to refuse to shy away from her beliefs in the contest, she told the event: "All these wonderfully committed team members, who wanted me to win, had great advice - just lie and you'll be fine. "I ended the first 24 hours just so thankful that, in the face of the questions, I hadn't crumbled. "The end result felt like a victory because during that period I thought I had not given in when I could have." Image source, PA Media Image caption, Kate Forbes and Humza Yousaf clashed during the 2023 SNP leadership contest The question and answer event was chaired by former Australian deputy prime minister John Anderson. At one point, Anderson claimed that Forbes had been treated "grossly unfairly" due to her Christian beliefs. Speaking about Yousaf, he went on to say the SNP leadership contest had gone "in favour of somebody who was probably every bit as committed to those views, and even more hardline, but happened to be of a diff