Kate Forbes MSP has announced she is to stand down as an MSP at the next election in 2026.
Ms Forbes is the Depute First Minister and in the past held the post of Finance Secretary during the pandemic.
She has said that her obligations to her family will now come first, and so is not ruling out a return to politicos at any subsequent election.
Her resignation letter is below in which she throws her support firmly behind First Minister, John Swinney. She stood against Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan as a potential leader of the SNP, losing out by a small margin to Mr Yousaf.
John Swinney has not yet made any comment but Transport Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said: “ Kate has made such a strong impact in the government and is passionate about her constituency but she is absolutely entitled to put her family first. I have worked closely with her and admire her sharp mind, focus and determination to build a better Scotland. Best wishes, Kate.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: “Kate and I were both elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2016 and there have been several occasions when we’ve worked well together on shared interests since. I wish her family well for everything that comes next.
“This is a top target seat for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, having won the equivalent seat at Westminster last year. We’re campaigning hard to fix the care crisis, to cut your energy bills, and for better local healthcare having recently secured the replacement for the Belford Hospital in the Scottish Budget.
“Scotland deserves better and people in the Highlands know that our hardworking champion Andrew Baxter is best placed to beat the SNP.”
Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire Angus MacDonald said: “Having campaigned alongside Kate on a range of local issues, I’d like to thank her for the work and effort she has put in as the MSP for this constituency.
“But the SNP have a broken relationship with the Highlands. On their watch, access to health care has deteriorated, local schools are in disrepair and the cost of living has soared.
“Andrew Baxter secured an overwhelming by-election victory in this constituency last year- a symbol of the trust that local people place in him to fight their corner. Andrew and the Scottish Liberal Democrats represent the change that people in the Highlands badly need.”
Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie MSP said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Kate Forbes for her service as an elected representative at the Scottish Parliament for almost a decade.
“It is a great honour for us all to represent our constituents in Parliament, and I am sure that those living in Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch will be grateful for her work during that time.
“Of course, as much as being an MSP is a privilege, it is also a demanding job which can make for a difficult balance between our working and personal lives. In that spirit, I wish Kate all the very best in her future endeavours and hope that she can enjoy spending time with her family.
“But it cannot have escaped the notice of voters that many of the SNP’s former rising stars are abandoning the stage, often to be replaced by defeated names of yesteryears and anonymous party apparatchiks.
“Kate Forbes was the future once – but now, like many of her counterparts in the SNP, she can see the writing on the wall. The truth is this is a tired government with no vision and no ideas.
“As we look ahead to the Scottish Parliament election in 2026, Scottish Labour is committed to offering people across Scotland a new direction, after nearly two decades of a tired, failing SNP government.
“So, while John Swinney hits the independence panic button, Scottish Labour will focus on the issues that matter to Scots – such as fixing our public services, restoring our health service, and uniting our country.”
