The race is on: The potential runners and riders to succeed Sturgeon

With the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon, the contest is now on within the SNP to find a new leader and First Minister. An election is scheduled on March 27th with the candidates expected to be tackling hot-button issues within the party. Topics such as the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, the path to Scottish independence, the cost-of-living crisis and the rising homelessness and drug deaths in the country will be at the forefront of the debate.

Nicola Sturgeon announcing her resignation on the 15th of February 2023.

With high-profile names such as John Swinney and Joanna Cherry declining to enter the race, let’s do a who’s who of the declared and potential candidates.

Humza Yousaf

Considered a young face within the SNP in terms of both his age and time in the Scottish parliament, Yousaf joined the parliament in 2011 as a regional MSP for Glasgow. He began his career working with the then First Minister Alex Salmond as his liaison officer. He slowly climbed the ranks through various junior posts in both the Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon ministries.

Yousaf landed a cabinet-level job in 2018 under Sturgeon as Cabinet Secretary for Justice. Under this role, he oversaw the passing of the Hate Crime Bill which strengthened the laws around religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. He also established an inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh, a Black man who died after being arrested by the police.

Humza Yousaf as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.

Yousaf was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care at the height of Covid-19 and has faced criticism over his handling of the NHS. Pay disputes and staffing shortages have plagued his time on the job and could harm his chances in the race. Despite this, he enjoys a strong amount of support from much of the party and is a strong contender.

Ash Regan

A name which not a lot of the public may be familiar with outside of her constituency. Regan joined the parliament in 2016 as MSP for Edinburgh East and has had previous experience in Women for Independence (WFI) and campaigned for the Yes Movement during the 2014 independence campaign.

A lack of ministerial experience and name recognition may hinder her campaign, she only held a junior ministerial post as Minister for Community Safety from 2018-2022. Despite this, Regan has received endorsements from Joanna Cherry and the popular independence blog Wings over Scotland as well as former First Minister Alex Salmond who also endorsed Kate Forbes.

Ash Regan during her time as Minister for Community Safety.

Regan also gained prominence as being in the group of SNP members who opposed the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, resigning her position after the bill had passed in protest.

Kate Forbes

Kate Forbes is widely seen as a young and fresh take on the SNP. Entering parliament in 2016 as MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Forbes spent time as a backbencher advancing a campaign for a ban on plastic straws and is an advocate for the Gaelic language. Forbes delivered an entire speech in Gaelic in parliament to have the language added to UNESCO.

In a cabinet reshuffle in June 2018, Forbes became Minister for Finance. With the experience gained in that position, she found herself being appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy in February 2020 after the resignation of Derek Mackay. She was praised for delivering the budget on such short notice but later faced criticisms from local authorities and opposition parties during Covid-19 when she made over £300m cuts to local funding for councils.

Kate Forbes working on the Scottish Budget.

Forbes did not so say whether or not she supported the Gender Recognition Bill and did not vote on it at the time due to being on maternity leave. Forbes is also seen as a leading contender and would be a strong challenger to Humza Yousaf.

Angus Robertson

For those in the party seeking a wealth of knowledge and experience, Angus Robertson could present himself as a strong threat. Joining the House of Commons as MP for Moray in 2001, considered hard- working and an advocate for greater powers to be given to the Scottish parliament at a time when the Scottish parliament was created only two years prior.

In 2007, he became the leader of the SNP in the House of Commons under Alex Salmond and sat on various parliamentary committees. Robertson was the campaign director for the 2007 Scottish parliamentary election which was the first SNP victory at the time as well as the 2011 parliamentary election and the 2015 UK General Election.

Robertson was elected as Deputy Leader of the SNP in 2016 under Sturgeon. In the 2017 UK General Election, Robertson had a shock defeat to the Conservative Party, losing the seat to future leader Douglas Ross. He would resign as Deputy Leader in 2018.

Angus Robertson on the steps of Bute house in 2021.

Robertson had a successful comeback as an MSP in 2021 for Edinburgh Central where he overturned a Conservative majority. Robertson would be seen as a good alternative for those looking for more of an experienced candidate but may be seen as out of touch by a party that has an increasingly younger electorate.

The contest will bring forward a mix of different ideas in the party and the SNP will be hoping they can pick a candidate that can replicate the success of Sturgeon and succeed where she failed, the second independence referendum.