Kate Forbes to leave Government after finishing second in SNP leadership race
Ms Forbes is believed to have been offered the rural affairs job by Humza Yousaf
Kate Forbes is set to leave the Scottish Government after finishing second in the SNP leadership race.
Ms Forbes is believed to have been offered the rural affairs job by new First Minister Humza Yousaf, but turned it down.
It means Ms Forbes, who served as Finance Secretary under Nicola Sturgeon's administration, will return to Holyrood's backbenches.
If she had moved to rural affairs it would have been seen as a major demotion, one which Forbes backer and former health secretary Alex Neil branded an "insult and not a real effort to unite", adding: "A poor start."
Ms Forbes narrowly missed out on the leadership, claiming 47.9% of the vote in the second round, while Ash Regan was eliminated in the first round with 11% of the vote.