Kate Forbes was “alienating” of minority groups in how she discussed her religious beliefs, according to former First Minister and SNP leadership rival Humza Yousaf. 

He branded Forbes “insulting” and took aim at those who said her treatment showed that Christians were not welcome in Scottish politics, in his new book Under Fire. 

Yousaf won the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon in 2023. Forbes began the leadership contest as the frontrunner, but she came under fire for her membership of the Free Church of Scotland and views on marriage. 

During the campaign, Forbes said she did not support sex before marriage and that she would not have voted for legalising same-sex marriage had she been in the Scottish Parliament in 2014.

According to The Scotsman, Yousaf wrote: “Her campaign got off to a disastrous start. She struggled to answer the most predictable questions about how her religious beliefs might conflict with the policies of a progressive political party such as ours.”

“The problem for many people was not Kate’s faith but her clumsy articulation of it, alienating minority groups and making them feel, in their own words, as if they didn’t belong in Kate Forbes’ Scotland.

“In the first few days of her campaign, she cast doubt over existing laws - such as same-sex marriage legislation - suggesting she would be open to repealing it. She also managed to insult around half the parents in the country by telling them that having children out of wedlock was wrong.”

Yousaf said political commentators who believed “there was no room for people of faith in politics” as a result of how Forbes was treated “could not be more wrong” because he held the top job while being a practicing Muslim.

He said: “It is, to me, very simple: my rights, as a Muslim and a person of colour, do not exist in a vacuum. You either believe in everyone’s rights, or you are selective in your application of rights. I choose to believe in and advocate for universal rights.”

Yousaf also claimed that the “feeling of being cornered” led Forbes to “make an astonishing attack” on him during a televised debate, in which she criticised his record in different ministerial positions. 

Forbes, who served as deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for the economy, retired from politics at the Holyrood elections in May 2026. 

Speaking earlier this year, Forbes said remaining true to her convictions was more important than the leadership election result.