John Swinney has hit out at SNP leadership contender Kate Forbes over her opposition to same sex marriage.
The Deputy First Minister said he "profoundly" disagrees with the religious stance taken by Forbes - despite admitting he is also "a man of deep Christian faith".
He was the latest senior SNP figure to distance himself from the Finance Secretary, who has been roundly criticised for a series of socially conservative positions during the contest to succeed Nicola Sturgeon.
The evangelical Christian said she would not have voted for gay marriage in 2014 and claimed having children outside marriage was “wrong according to my faith”.
Swinney told BBC Scotland: “I think the thing for me that I would want to say at this stage is all of the debate that has been aired about Kate Forbes’s position for me has got absolutely nothing to do with Kate’s faith.
“I am a man of deep Christian faith, but I don’t hold the same views that Kate has set out in the course of the last couple of days.
“I think it has been unhelpful that the debate has been focused on the question of faith, because in my view it has got nothing to do with faith.
“The Church of Scotland undertakes same-sex marriage, and I warmly congratulate and compliment the Church of Scotland on getting carefully to that position over some years.”
He said: “If Kate wants to set out those views, with which I profoundly disagree despite being a man of deep faith, then the party membership will make their judgment about those views and whether they think those views are appropriate for someone to hold if they are leader of the SNP and first minister.”
Two other candidates have also declared – Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and former community safety minister Ash Regan.
Sturgeon has also distanced herself from Forbes: “I don’t agree on these issues…I take a very different view on these issues, but there’s a leadership election under way and the SNP will make its decision.”
A senior party source said her leadership campaign is in freefall after supporters deserted her over the same sex marriage comments.
Richard Lochhead, the just transition minister, u-turned after the gay rights row saying: “I welcomed my colleague Kate Forbes’ decision to join the SNP leadership contest given her talents & felt it would give us a real contest: new ideas and a new approach that we desperately need. However, I agree we can’t have a Party Leader who’d vote against same sex marriage.”
Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin, another initial backer, tweeted: “We must be full throated in our support of equal marriage. No if or buts. I won’t be supporting Kate’s campaign on that basis. I wish her well- she’s extremely talented. But I have red lines. And this is one.”
Children and Young People Minister Clare Haughey was “delighted” to nominate Forbes, but hours later wrote: “I absolutely and completely support equal marriage. I am unequivocal on this issue. I cannot continue to support Kate’s leadership campaign.”
Public Finance Minister Tom Arthur said: “Equal marriage is amongst our Parliament’s greatest achievements and one that I would have been proud to vote for had I been an MSP when it was passed. Consequently, I am unable to continue to support Kate’s campaign.”
Drew Hendry, an SNP MP in the Highlands, tweeted: “Whilst I wish her well for the future, my focus now is on ensuring we can bring people across communities, of all faiths - and none - back to a position of love, understanding, and, above all, respect. To that end, sadly, I cannot continue to back Kate’s leadership bid.”
Tory MSP Craig Hoy said: “John Swinney has seriously undermined Kate Forbes, his former protege, by questioning her appropriateness to be SNP leader.
“This leadership race is turning increasingly bitter, revealing deep divisions within the SNP on everything that isn’t about breaking up the UK.
“As the SNP move further and further away from the real priorities of the Scottish people, only the Scottish Conservatives will stand up to their damaging obsession with another independence referendum and get the focus onto the issues that really matter.”
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