Kate Forbes: ‘People deserve honesty and I did not want to weasel out’

Kate Forbes spent most of last week making her opinions clear and – despite being forced to reset after her views on gay marriage threatened to derail her campaign before it had started – is not for stopping.

Speaking to The Post, the finance secretary is giving no comfort for those SNP members demanding another, urgent tilt at independence insisting most Scots will not be ready for another vote until the party builds a stronger economic case and a clear majority for leaving the UK.

Forbes, who is ahead in early polls of SNP members although many remain undecided over who should succeed Nicola Sturgeon, admits more must be done to convince Scots that independence is the answer to issues like the cost of living crisis.

She believes the party must listen to its members before drafting a new road map towards independence.

Sturgeon had wanted to use the next general election as a de facto referendum after the Supreme Court ruled the Scottish Parliament could not unilaterally legislate for a poll but Forbes said: “I would like to see a referendum on independence when it’s quite clear that a majority of voters in Scotland support independence.

“We need to use all means and mechanisms at our disposal to both make the case and put pressure on the Westminster government to enable a democratic route to independence.

“On the former, I think we need to maximise the contributions of the wider SNP membership. There is a breadth of talent and diversity of ideas that I think we are not hearing and we need to ensure that we are listening and getting their take on it.

“Secondly, we also need to make sure we are dealing with the issues causing concern to people right now, which I think are directly linked to Scotland’s constitutional future.

“The cost of living is top of people’s concerns, and I ask the question why in an energy-rich nation like Scotland are people are struggling to afford their energy bills?

“We need to be on the front foot in preparing the ground and making the case for independence. I would like that to be sooner rather than later.

“But I also want it to be at the point when a majority of people can see that independence is the answer on these issues, and we are not there yet. I think there is a large number of people who can be persuaded, but haven’t been persuaded by our approach to date.

“They need to hear strong, robust arguments on the economy, they need to see strong, competent leadership when it comes to the economy, and they also need to see the link between the challenges and the priorities they face right now and the potential of independence.”

Forbes, at 32 the youngest of the three candidates to take charge, was speaking on Friday after a bruising few days that saw her campaign almost derailed within hours of its launch after she said she would have voted against same-sex marriage legislation as it conflicted with her beliefs as a member of the Free Church of Scotland.

Subsequent comments that she did not believe children should be born outside marriage triggered more criticism and questions about her suitability to lead the country. Forbes had, however, made clear she would not roll back any equality legislation, wanted Scots to love and live whoever and however they wished, and questioned the liberalism of critics so intolerant of her faith-based views. These apparently included most of her party’s establishment and the MSPs who had helped launch her campaign before immediately deserting it.

Seeking to reset her campaign, she later said she felt “greatly burdened” that her views caused hurt and told The Post that questions about her faith would have followed her during the leadership campaign if she had not answered them.

She said: “My identity is multi-faceted. I’m a woman, I’m a Highlander and I’m a person of faith. Inevitably, I was going to be asked questions, and in a contest people respect honesty and they deserve honesty. Prevarication would only mean these questions continuing through the contest.

“I’ve realised my framing has caused hurt to colleagues, but I did intend to try and be honest and upfront rather than to weasel out.”

Forbes, returning early from maternity leave to take part in the leadership contest, said she would not have backed the Scottish Government’s gender reform bill and, if elected first minister, she would seek legal advice before challenging the UK Government for using a Section 35 order to block the legislation.

Forbes said: “I do not think that Westminster should be overturning Scottish Parliament legislation. However, I also think that right now what people want is for the government to be tackling the cost of living and the NHS.

“So subject to that legal advice, I would take a decision as to what maximises our time and ability to focus on issues that matter to the people of Scotland.”

The Scottish Government has also faced criticism of proposals to restrict alcohol advertising and its bottle deposit return scheme. Forbes is not convinced by either. She also voiced concern at the delays recently announced to dualling the A9.

Forbes said: “We need to look at the cumulative impact of the policies that we are making and not just make decisions in a silo.”

Meanwhile, reports on Friday suggested some SNP MSPs were threatening not to vote for Forbes becoming first minister if she won the leadership election because of her beliefs about same-sex marriage. The Greens say her opinions might risk their agreement with the SNP.

That could pave the way for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to succeed Nicola Sturgeon if pro-Union parties back him. However, Forbes said any SNP MSPs refusing to back her would have to answer to the party’s members. She said: “If you believe in democracy you accept the person who is selected by SNP members.

“We have a broad and diverse membership and one theme of my campaign is they deserve a voice.

“If others are suggesting that their voice should be ignored, then that is an extremely problematic position for democracy.”