Who is Kate Forbes? Scotland's new Deputy First Minister

Forbes takes over from Shona Robison, who has resigned from the role but will remain in Cabinet with responsibility for finance and local government.

The former finance secretary was the first to arrive at Swinney's official residence, Bute House, as he put together his top table.

In a statement, Forbes said: “I am deeply honoured to accept John’s invitation to be his deputy first minister.

“This is a moment of extraordinary privilege for me. Having previously served in Cabinet, I know the duty that all ministers have to reflect the Government’s priorities and the missions that drive them.

“I look forward to working with John and Cabinet colleagues, delivering for the people of Scotland and building a better country.”

READ MORE: John Swinney: New SNP leader sworn in as First Minister

Announcing his new deputy, the First Minister (below) said: “I am very pleased to appoint Kate as deputy first minister and look forward to working with her in this new government.

“She is an immensely talented politician and her new role will prove critical as we focus on our key commitments of eradicating child poverty, investing in public services and supporting economic growth.”

Forbes previously served as finance secretary in Nicola Sturgeon's government before returning to the backbenches after narrowly missing out to Humza Yousaf in the SNP leadership election in 2023.

Forbes had been the only other SNP politician to publicly state that she was considering a leadership bid against the now first minister.

But after a discussion last week, she publicly backed him – with Swinney committing to offering Forbes a "significant" role in his government.

Swinney is making Cabinet appointments after being sworn in at the Court of Session earlier today (Wednesday).

The Cabinet appointments will be formally approved in parliament on Thursday.

Who is Kate Forbes?Kate Forbes became an MSP in 2016

Forbes became the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch at the 2016 Holyrood election, having previously worked for former MSP Dave Thompson in the same constituency.

In 2018, she was promoted to the junior position of minister of public finance and her rapid rise continued when she was announced as Scotland’s first female finance secretary when Derek Mackay resigned in disgrace.

In 2020, she became the first woman to deliver the Scottish Budget.

She holds a comfortable majority of 15,000 in her Highland constituency.

After Forbes narrowly lost in the SNP leadership election against Yousaf last year, she quit her role as finance secretary. It had been reported that she was offered a Cabinet role in rural affairs, but turned it down. 

Since then, Forbes has been a columnist with The National and focusing on constituency issues such as campaigning on the delayed Belford Hospital. 

Before politics

Kate Forbes worked for Barclays before entering politics

Prior to becoming a politician, Forbes studied history at Cambridge before completing an MSc in diaspora and migration history at the University of Edinburgh.

She was born in Dingwall and spent part of her childhood in India. Forbes would go on to become an accountant and later worked for Barclays.

When she was in Scotland, she attended a Gaelic school where she became fluent in the language.

How does she plan to win independence?

In the previous leadership election, Forbes outlined her views on a number of key issues facing Scotland from independence to the A9.

On securing independence, Forbes told The National about her plan to use the next Westminster election to win a mandate in order to demand within three months the powers to hold a referendum if the SNP win a majority of seats.

She said: “What I’m proposing is an independence delivery plan which would be implemented, which is designed to maximise and boost support for independence.

“Call it a campaign team with a mission to persuade and to ensure that as many people as possible are being reached.”

During an interview with the BBC, Forbes also spoke of the importance of cutting “vitriol” and “abuse” in order to win No voters over to Yes.

Views on same-sex marriage

Forbes lost several of her endorsements at the beginning of her campaign after she told The Scotsman that she would not have supported equal marriage as a “matter of conscience” were she an MSP when the vote was held.

However, she added: “It is legal right now and I am a servant of democracy. I am not a dictator.”

READ MORE: Free Church of Scotland: What are the beliefs of Kate Forbes's church?​

Forbes then later said that having children out of wedlock is “wrong” according to her faith as a member of the Free Church of Scotland.

“For me, it would be wrong according to my faith, but for you I have no idea what your faith is. So, in a free society you can do what you want," she said.