Former deputy first minister John Swinney has become the first candidate to declare he is running to succeed Humza Yousaf as SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister.
If successful it will be the second time Mr Swinney, who was deputy first minister for more than eight years under Nicola Sturgeon, has led his party, having held the post between 2000 and 2004.
His leadership bid has already been backed by a number of prominent SNP figures, including Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray and Scottish Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth.
Former Holyrood finance secretary Kate Forbes – who has also been touted as a successor to Mr Yousaf following his resignation on Monday – is expected to announce later on Thursday whether she will run for the post.
She and Mr Swinney held private talks on Tuesday, but it is not known whether any agreement was reached.
Mr Swinney has been an MSP since the Scottish Parliament’s inception in 1999, serving North Tayside, and previously represented the same constituency at Westminster in 1997
Earlier this week Humza Yousaf quit as head of the pro-independence SNP after a week of chaos triggered by his scrapping of a coalition agreement with Scotland’s Greens.
He had failed to secure enough support to survive votes of no confidence against him that were expected later this week.
Resigning little over a year after he replaced Nicola Sturgeon as first minister and SNP leader, Mr Yousaf said it was time for someone else to lead Scotland’s devolved government.
