One of the early favorites to succeed Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would stand in the leadership contest as a potential rival frontrunner ruled himself out.
(Bloomberg) — One of the early favorites to succeed Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would stand in the leadership contest as a potential rival frontrunner ruled himself out.
Kate Forbes, 32, who is in charge of finance and the economy in Scotland’s semi-autonomous government, said on Monday in a Twitter post that she would run to replace Sturgeon, who took UK politics by surprise last week by announcing her resignation.
Earlier, Angus Robertson, 53, a former UK parliamentarian who now serves in the Scottish government as cabinet secretary for the constitution, culture and external affairs, said in a statement on Twitter the time wasn’t right to take on such a post because of his young family.
Bookmakers had Robertson and Forbes as early top bets to replace Sturgeon. The deadline for nominations for the leadership of the Scottish National Party, which runs the administration in Edinburgh, is Friday, Feb. 24, at noon. The party will announce the winner on March 27 after a vote by members.
Other candidates include Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s health secretary, and Ash Regan, a member of the Scottish Parliament who stepped down from a ministerial role over a controversial gender recognition bill.
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