FORMER finance secretary Kate Forbes has said she stands firmly behind her old SNP leadership rival Humza Yousaf as the First Minister faces a no-confidence vote.

The Scottish Conservatives announced during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday that they would be tabling a vote after Yousaf ended the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens.

The agreement had formally united the two pro-independence parties in the Scottish Parliament, and without it in place Yousaf is left leading a minority SNP government.

READ MORE: Will Humza Yousaf have to resign as First Minister if he loses no-confidence vote?

Forbes, who has previously said SNP members should be given a say on the future of the power sharing agreement, was asked about whether she would vote in support of her former rival.

She said: “Of course. I stand firmly and squarely behind the First Minister in the difficult task of governing but what I think matters now to the people of Scotland is that the SNP they have voted for in the past is the SNP that continues to have their best interests at heart.”

The Greens have accused Humza Yousaf of “political cowardice” adding that when it comes to political cooperation the First Minister is “not to be trusted”.

Patrick Harvie stood up at FMQs and asked Yousaf who he had pleased the most: Douglas Ross, SNP rebel Fergus Ewing, or former first minister Alex Salmond in ending the agreement.

But Forbes said it presented an opportunity for the SNP to focus on its priorities in the run-up to a General Election.

She said: “The First Minister has made this decision and I think it’s now an opportunity for the party to focus on our priorities and on delivery like creating jobs, ensuring that we achieve net zero, and focusing on all the policies that get SNP MSPs elected in the first place.

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“I had previously talked about giving another vote to members but the First Minister has made the decision today and now as we run up to another election we can get behind the party, we can focus on the issues that matter and ultimately I think the SNP has always been the most electable and strongest when we focus on the policies that are priorities to the people of Scotland.”

The Tories' no-confidence motion looks set to be backed by the Unionist parties, but Yousaf will survive if he can retain the support of his Green former colleagues.

However, that is in question after a brutal statement from the Greens accused Yousaf of " an act of political cowardice ... selling out future generations to appease the most reactionary forces in the country".