Talented politician Kate Forbes achieved more in 10 years than many do in a lifetime, says ex-SNP spin doctor
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IT is an odd thing to be writing a political obituary for a 35-year-old.
But yesterday morning Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes stunned the world of Scottish politics by announcing she will not seek re-election next May.
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Kate Forbes, pictured with First Minister John Swinney at Holyrood, has announced she is stepping down
Credit: PA
While it may appear to many observers as a bolt from the blue, it is not a decision the ever-thoughtful MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch will have reached without a great deal of soul-searching and careful consideration.
The deliberate words she selected to explain her decision in an open letter to the First Minister should be taken at face value.
It's a tough balancing act between ministerial office and the commitment of a young family based 150 miles from Holyrood.
Nobody is likely to begrudge a mother more time to enjoy the 'precious early years of family life' with wee Naomi, her daughter, who turned three yesterday.
What will have been a difficult decision for Kate now raises some even tougher questions for our politics.
As the party's head of communications and research, I first encountered Kate at a SNP candidate selection day in 2015.
Of the dozens of wannabe parliamentarians being assessed to stand for election, she stood out by a country mile.
She was fiercely intelligent, if a bit swotty. A natural communicator, more polished than many longstanding MSPs. And she was driven by a sense of duty to serve.
She flourished as a new backbencher from 2016 to 2018 — as a team player within a parliamentary group of MSPs, and an inquisitorial committee member.
She was someone clearly unafraid to think for herself, championing national and constituency causes on a range of issues: economic, cultural and environmental.
Kate Forbes picks her biggest scandal of the SNP's time in power
It came as no surprise that Nicola Sturgeon elevated her to junior finance minister in her 2018 reshuffle, a calling she undertook diligently, quickly impressing the business community.
Her ability to step up to deliver a Scottish Budget mere hours after the resignation of Finance Secretary Derek Mackay in February 2020 — the first woman to do so in the Scottish Parliament — thrust her into the limelight.
Days later, the finance brief in Cabinet was deservedly hers to keep. She held this post through the toughest of times, navigating the nation's finances and support for businesses through a global pandemic.
In the 2021 election she was returned to Holyrood with the largest majority of any MSP on 56 per cent of the vote and in July 2022 she blazed another trail in becoming the first Cabinet secretary in the Government to take maternity leave.
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Ex-SNP spin doctor says Kate Forbes can be proud of her time in politics
Credit: Alamy
Kate returned to the political fray with her eyes set on the top job, after Ms Sturgeon resigned as First Minister in 2023.
She was pipped at the post by Humza Yousaf in a bruising leadership battle and then, just a year later, became John Swinney's deputy in exchange for her support for his leadership.
Despite effectively being the runner-up in two leadership contests — one fiercely fought, the other de facto — she emerged a political winner with her head held high.
It's a rare thing to announce your departure from the political arena with a reputation intact — she has regularly been polled as Scotland's most popular politician, with approval ratings generally higher among the population as a whole than within the SNP rank and file.
It's no secret Kate has at times felt thwarted in realising her ambitions for Scotland in government. Her focus on economic growth, creating good jobs in communities from the Borders to Benbecula, has proved more challenging than should ever have been the case.
More broadly, we can undoubtedly do better by our young, talented, female MSPs.
Some of that is practical and should be urgently addressed by all parties.
Kate herself lambasted the lack of creche facilities for young mothers in political life back in 2023 and colleagues such as Aileen Campbell and Gail Ross also quit to spend more time with their young families.
While Holyrood has few late-night sittings like Westminster, the rigours of ministerial office and constituency work mean it's more than a full-time job, with little time left for family.
Scotland's geography is a challenge, but our outdated transport infrastructure doesn't help.
The torrent of hateful abuse directed at politicians has grown exponentially over recent years. Female politicians receive a disproportionate share of that bile, much of it laden with misogyny.
Kate faced the slings and arrows of public opinion for her deeply-held Christian faith, including from within her own party, which challenged the fundamentals of just how tolerant a Scotland we live in today.
But in a decade in politics, Kate has achieved more than many could hope to achieve in a lifetime. I dearly hope to see her return.
Meanwhile, work must be done to make our politics a hell of a lot better.
Fergus Mutch is a former SNP head of communications and is now managing partner of advisory firm True North.
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