The SNP’s ‘operation stop Kate Forbes’ has succeeded – for now

If you want to know how deep is the crisis in which the Scottish National Party currently finds itself, let this sink in: the next leader of the party will be a man who’s already had the job and made an absolute mess of it. In a remarkable turn of events following the resignation of Humza Yousaf on Monday, senior SNP figures quickly began urging John Swinney – who served as Nicola Sturgeon’s deputy when she was First Minister – to enter the contest to replace him. This morning, Swinney accepted their challenge and announced his candidacy to become SNP leader and, thus, Scotland’s seventh First Minister since the establishment of the Scottish parliament 25 years ago. By early afternoon, former Finance Secretary Kate Forbes let it be known she would not stand, leaving the way clear for a Swinney coronation. Forbes is expected to be handed a senior role in the new cabinet.

Announcing his candidacy, Swinney spoke of his desire to create a ‘modern, diverse Scotland’, which prompts the question ‘what has the SNP been doing in government for the past 17 years?’.