Kate Forbes has quit the Scottish government after new first minister Humza Yousaf tried to demote her.
The former finance secretary, who was narrowly defeated by Yousaf in the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon, was offered the rural affairs brief in his new cabinet.
A source close to Forbes said she “told him where to stick it” and resigned instead.
The move is a major setback for Yousaf as he tries to unite the SNP after being elected party leader yesterday.
Yousaf defeated Forbes by 52% to 48% following a bitter five-week leadership contest, during which she criticised his record as a minister.
However, he had signalled he intended to heal the divisions by taking a “Team SNP” approach to forming his new government.
He said: “Where there are divisions to heal, we must do so quickly.”
Forbes will now return to the backbenches.
A senior SNP figure told HuffPost UK: “It’s a very poor start by Humza. He’s essentially ignoring the wishes of nearly half the party members.”
Sturgeon made the announcement at a press conference in Edinburgh on Wednesday morning saying she had been “wrestling” with the question for some weeks.
“Part of serving well would be to know, almost instinctively, when the time is right to make way for someone else,” Sturgeon said.
Advertisement
“In my head and in my heart I know that time is now. That it is right for me, for my party and for the country.”
Sturgeon has been first minister since November 2014, when she took over from Alex Salmond following the independence referendum.
She has been the country’s longest-serving first minister.
Sturgeon also told the BBC last month she would “like to think” she would be the leader to take Scotland out of the UK.
However, BBC chief political correspondent Nick Eardley reported a source close to her saying: “She’s had enough.”
Nicola Sturgeon is the finest public servant of the devolution age. Her public service, personal resilience and commitment to Scotland is unmatched, and she has served our party unlike anyone else. She will be an enormous loss as First Minister and SNP leader. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/DyeJU5EkIV
Internal dissent, almost unheard of in the SNP, broke out over Sturgeon’s handling of the affair.
Voters also started to make clear their dissatisfaction after a YouGov poll showed Sturgeon’s approval ratings had plummeted to negative territory.
Advertisement
However, during her speech Sturgeon said her decision to resign was “not a reaction to short-term pressures”.
“This decision comes from a deeper and longer-term assessment,” she said.
Pressed on the row surrounding transgender prisoners, Sturgeon insisted: “No, that issue wasn’t the final straw”.
Just to reinforce the point I was making on air, the SNP has been a one politician show for years. Salmond then Sturgeon, with 69% of the Scottish public now saying they ‘don’t know’ who should succeed her. Gives Labour and @AnasSarwar huge opportunity going into 2024 GE https://t.co/wsKi6kN3h2
Sturgeon also confirmed she was “not leaving politics”, adding that she will continue to fight for Scottish independence.
Alison Thewliss, the SNP MP for Glasgow Central and the party’s home affairs spokesperson, said she was “gutted”.
Advertisement
She tweeted: “Absolutely gutted about this. Nicola has been an incredible leader.”
SNP MP Stewart McDonald described Sturgeon as “the finest public servant of the devolution age”.
“Nicola Sturgeon is the finest public servant of the devolution age,” the MP for Glasgow South tweeted.
“Her public service, personal resilience and commitment to Scotland is unmatched, and she has served our party unlike anyone else. She will be an enormous loss as first minister and SNP leader. Thank you!”
Rishi Sunak returns to London this morning after spending two days in Scotland.
His visit included a private dinner with Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday evening, during which the pair discussed, among other things, the many issues that divide them.
Nevertheless, the prime minister said he wanted the pair to “strengthen our working relationship and continue discussing our shared challenges and our joint efforts to deliver for people in Scotland”.
Advertisement
But that laudable intention will be blown to pieces next Wednesday if, as HuffPost UK understands, Sunak’s government takes the unprecedented step of blocking a bill passed at Holyrood from becoming law.
The legislation in question is the Gender Recognition Reform Act, which was passed by the Scottish Parliament before Christmas after a fierce debate which highlighted splits on the issue in the main parties.
In simple terms, the new law would make it easier for trans people to change gender by reducing the time the process takes and lowering the age at which it can happen.
The Westminster government has no intention of bringing in a similar bill, giving rise to potential legal problems over how the Scotland-only law would affect the application of the Equalities Act across the UK.
Advertisement
Ministers in London can block Holyrood legislation in such circumstances by triggering section 35 of the Scotland Act — which brought the Scottish Parliament into being in 1999.
That would prevent the presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament from sending the bill to the King for royal assent.
Whitehall sources say Alister Jack, the secretary of state for Scotland, will announce on Wednesday that the UK government will block the bill.
Coming at a time when the SNP are already accusing Westminster of “denying democracy” by not allowing another referendum on independence, this would be the political equivalent of throwing a match into a box of fireworks.
Sunak held “constructive” talks with Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland on Thursday.
10 Downing Street
Advertisement
Asked about the issue while in Scotland, Sunak was giving little away.
“Obviously this is a very sensitive area and I know there were very robust debates and exchanges on it as the bill was passing in in Scotland,” he said.
“What I’m concerned about is the impact of the bill across the United Kingdom.
“There may be impacts across the UK that we need to be aware of and understand the impact of them, and that’s what we’re doing, and once the government has received final advice it will set out next steps.”
Stephen Flynn, the SNP leader at Westminster, gave a foretaste of what his party’s reaction will be if the UK government does indeed veto the Gender Reform Recognition Act.
He said: “This goes to the heart of Scotland’s democracy because Scotland’s democratically elected parliament has approved legislation in relation to gender recognition and the UK government is potentially going to try and undermine that. That’s simply not on.”
It’s not a straightforward issue for the SNP, however.
The debate in the Scottish Parliament saw the biggest rebellion against the party leadership since it came to power in 2007, with some SNP MSPs voting against what they see as an attack on women’s sex-based rights.
Advertisement
The SNP’s Westminster group is also split, with Edinburgh South West MP Joanna Cherry one of the most vocal opponents of the Scottish government’s position.
Will those SNP rebels back the UK government blocking a law they hate, or will they row in behind Sturgeon over what their party claims is an attack on devolution itself?
Joanna Cherry speaking at the For Women Scotland and the Scottish Feminist Network demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament ahead of last month’s vote on the Gender Recognition Reform Act.
“Using such a radical mechanism as a veto power does rather play into the SNP narrative that Westminster is denying democracy, which seems to me to be politically risky,” they said.
Advertisement
“As we approach the 25th anniversary of devolution, it is a big moment.”
For all his warm words about co-operation with the Scottish government, it seems all-but certain that Sunak is just days away from a constitutional crisis which could end up defining the very future of the United Kingdom.
Nicola Sturgeon has sparked a backlash for saying “I detest the Tories” during a BBC interview.
Scotland’s first minister has been accused of using “dangerous language” after she took a swipe at the Conservatives.
Sturgeon told the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “If the question to me is would I prefer a Labour government over a Tory government – I detest the Tories and everything they stand for – so it’s not difficult to answer that question.”
Advertisement
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Nadhim Zahawi hit back: “I think that language is really dangerous.
“I prefer to work with my colleagues in Scotland on delivering the free ports, the green ports, as I want to do with [Deputy First Minister] John Swinney and others.”
Tory MP Andrew Bowie commented: “That’s the first minister of Scotland ‘detesting’ a quarter of the Scottish electorate.
“Good to see the language of respectful disagreement being demonstrated here. Btw, how’s that plan to win over 2014 no voters going?”
Advertisement
While Sturgeon said she would favour a Labour government, she added: “Being better than the Tories is not a high bar to cross right now.
“I think we need to see more of a radical alternative from Labour rather than just a pale imitation.
“If you’re asking me do I think either a Westminster Tory government or a Westminster Labour government are good enough for Scotland, then my answer to that is no.”
She also told the broadcaster she was disappointed that Labour leader Keir Starmer had “thrown in the towel” on re-joining the European Union.
During the interview, Sturgeon said she was “confident” that a second Scottish independence referendum will take place next October.
She dismissed opinion polls that show people do not want indyref2 now or in the next few years, saying they did not need to look at the polls to know there was a mandate for another referendum.
Advertisement
The SNP want to hold a vote next autumn if the Supreme Court rules that ordering a ballot is within the powers of the Scottish parliament.
Sturgeon said plans were “ready to go” to legislate for the referendum – if it gets the go ahead from the court.
The first minister also claimed that any attempt to boycott an indyref2 would show the UK government does not believe it can win the case for the union.
However, some – including Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross – have suggested the unionist side could boycott the referendum.
Sturgeon went on to say that she believed the “vast majority” of Scots would take part in the referendum and she was “confident Scotland will become independent”.
Advertisement
The Scottish government is expected to publish a new paper setting out its plans for the economy and currency of an independent Scotland next week.
HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development.
Your personal data that may be used
Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address
Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps
To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select ‘I agree‘, or select ‘Manage settings‘ for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls.
