Kate Forbes: I was a ‘slam dunk’ for the SNP leadership until I expressed my views on gay marriage.

In the 2023 leadership race, Yusuf defended the decision. Losing the final vote on Scotland’s Equal Marriage Bill after it was allegedly used as a cover-up.

Yusuf insisted he was “inevitably” involved in a death row inmate in Pakistan, adding: “I support equal marriage. I supported it then, support it now.”

Asked earlier this week if he would attend an ARC event, First Minister John Sweeney said: “I’m not really going to speak at a conference like this because I have nothing to do with reform.”

“Politicians have long pretended they can deliver utopia,” Forbes said in response to a separate question about political instability.

Speaking about the UK’s many referendums in recent years, she said each vote left half of the population “wrong and angry” and disappointed that the rest “didn’t see the milk and honey flowing”.

The SNP declined to comment on Forbes’ claims but pointed out that Sweeney had recently led Pride marches in Edinburgh.

Forbes, Yusuf and Anderson are available for comment.

In the year First elected in 2016, Forbes has made rapid progress to become Scotland’s first female finance secretary in 2020.

In the year After losing to Yusuf in 2023, she returned to the backbench, but plans another tilt at the leadership next year.

She eventually agreed to support Sweeney and was appointed as his deputy.

But she was not up for re-election in the May general election. Referring to family commitment.