SNP President Mike Russell has rubbished claims of a plot against Kate Forbes becoming leader of the party.
The Daily Mail claimed on its front page that the SNP "old guard" are scheming to ensure the Finance Secretary does not get the top job, but Russell has said this is "nonsense".
The paper reported Russell, Nicola Sturgeon, Ian Blackford and John Swinney are "desperate to keep their hands on the reins of power" and are said to have had a series of phone calls about who should be first minister.
It also claimed Sturgeon supporters devised a "significantly shorter" leadership contest to block Forbes from securing the FM post.
Russell put out a furious tweet in response to the story and said he had no recollection of any meeting or speaking to the journalist who wrote the story.
He tweeted: "The only words for this are “complete b******t”. Never recall meeting, let alone speaking to, this journalist. Had she inquired I would have told her it was made up nonsense on stilts."
Forbes has not officially declared her candidacy and is currently on maternity leave but has long been tipped as a future successor to Sturgeon.
She would become the SNP's youngest-ever leader if she won the race.
The only words for this are “complete bollocks”. Never recall meeting , let alone speaking to, this journalist. Had she inquired I would have told her it was made up nonsense on stilts. https://t.co/B0dNAKvjzU
— Michael Russell (@Feorlean) February 19, 2023
Forbes is among the SNP's most socially conservative politicians. She is a member of the Free Church of Scotland, whose views on gay rights and trans people may cause concern among SNP members and fellow politicians.
In 2018, she made a pro-life speech at a prayer breakfast in Edinburgh.
But SNP MP Joanna Cherry - who has nominated Ash Regan for the SNP leadership - pleaded with people to "stop attacking" Forbes for her beliefs and claimed no fuss was ever made about Blackford being a Free Church member.
She tweeted: "I wish people would stop attacking @_KateForbes for her religious faith.
"She’s never shown any inclination to roll back rights as a matter of govt policy.
"I don’t recall any fuss about Ian Blackford’s membership of the same church. It is rank #misogyny."
There are rumours the Scottish Greens could pull out of the Bute House agreement with the SNP if Forbes was to become FM which could lead to a snap Holyrood election.
A source told the Herald on Sunday they believed a lot of the Greens "would not be happy" with Forbes at the helm even if she adopted a pragmatic approach to governing.
