Forbes risks dragging Scotland back to ‘repressive’ 50s, Greens warn

Kate Forbes was named John Swinney’s deputy on Wednesday – JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE

The Scottish Green Party has warned John Swinney he risks reviving the “repressive” social attitudes of the 1950s by appointing Kate Forbes as Deputy First Minister, in an assault on her religious beliefs.

Patrick Harvie, the Greens’ co-leader, said the new First Minister had the right to form a minority government after the SNP ended the coalition deal with his party and ousted it from power.

He said Mr Swinney had sacked “progressive” ministers from his frontbench team and promoted someone “who has opposed LGBT people’s legal equality” as his second in command.

Speaking at Mr Swinney’s debut First Minister’s Questions after replacing Humza Yousaf, Mr Harvie said Ms Forbes had “expressed judgmental attitudes to abortion”.

He said the new Deputy First Minister, who is a devout Christian, had also “expressed the view that people who have families without being married are doing something wrong”.

Katie Forbes has expressed ‘judgmental’ views on the LGBT community, children born out of wedlock and abortion – SKULLY/ALAMY LIVE NEWS

Ms Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, triggered uproar in last year’s SNP leadership contest with Mr Yousaf when she expressed opposition to gay marriage and children being born out of wedlock.

She made it clear she would not seek to roll back any rights but Mr Swinney questioned at the time whether her views made her “an appropriate individual to be SNP leader and first minister”.

In a direct challenge, Mr Harvie, who was a minister in Mr Yousaf’s administration, asked: “Is this the Scottish Government’s vision for the future of Scotland – taking us back to the repressive values of the 1950s?”

The Greens later voted against Ms Forbes becoming Deputy First Minister, claiming LGBT people were “afraid” of Ms Forbes’s inclusion. However, her appointment was approved by 63 votes to 57.

Mr Swinney attempted to reassure the Greens and said: “I want to lead a modern, dynamic and diverse Scotland, a place for everybody, where everybody feels at home, at peace, where they have a place and that their place in our society is protected by my leadership of this country.”

But the exchanges laid bare the bitter divisions between the SNP and its former coalition partners after Mr Yousaf ended their power-sharing agreement a fortnight ago.

The Greens retaliated by backing a Tory motion of no confidence in Mr Yousaf, forcing him to resign. Mr Swinney was crowned his successor as SNP leader and First Minister after Ms Forbes agreed not to stand against him.

She extracted a high price for her cooperation, with Mr Swinney making her Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary in his minority government.

Scottish Greens accuse Kate Forbes of dragging SNP to ‘repressive’ era – JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE

Mr Swinney has signalled he wants to drag the SNP back to the political centre ground and away from the hard-Left Greens’ agenda, which has centred on environmental and gender issues.

Mr Harvie challenged him to come clean on “the direction his government will take”, before attacking Ms Forbes’s views on gay marriage, abortion and childbirth outside of wedlock.

“I’m not yet sure that the First Minister acknowledges or understands just how worried many LGBT people and others are in Scotland at the moment,” he added.

He also questioned whether Ms Forbes backs imposing higher income taxes in Scotland after she warned the latest increases could backfire by reducing revenues.

The Greens made a second attack on her in a debate that preceded a vote on whether to approve Mr Swinney’s choice of ministers.

Ross Greer, another Green MSP, said he shared a Christian faith with Ms Forbes and Mr Swinney but added: “The issue is that I am being asked to vote for someone who thinks there is something wrong with me, not because of any views I hold but simply because of who I am.”

Describing his “very deep Christian faith”, Mr Swinney attempted to reassure Mr Greer by saying: “I believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God

“That is the foundation of who I am… we are equal in the eyes of God, every one of us.”

Pressed by reporters if Ms Forbes shared his progressive values, Mr Swinney said: “Yes, she does actually.”

Ms Forbes said: “I am here to support the First Minister and together we serve all communities in Scotland as we further and progress the rights of every community in Scotland, and I look forward to doing my part in achieving the Government’s aims in that regard.

“Not just that, but when I joined Government yesterday in a clear role to support the First Minister, I signed up to collective responsibility, so I stand by the Government’s decisions and agenda to improve and progress the rights of all of Scotland’s communities.”

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