SNP leadership contest. Voting to begin in race to become Scotland's next First Minister

Voting is set to begin on Monday in the contest to choose the next leader of the SNP and first minister of Scotland.

The ballot will run until March 27 when Nicola Sturgeon’s successor will be unveiled.

Ballots are being sent out to SNP members to choose their party’s new leader, with Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan in the running to be Scotland’s sixth first minister.

As the vote opens, Humza Yousaf is set to tell SNP members the party “cannot afford to have a leader who pulls us off” a progressive path in a jibe at Forbes.

Kate Forbes, Humza Yousaf, and Ash Regan are running to be Scotland's next first minister

Mr Yousaf will at an event in Stirling tell party members the Yes movement was built on “inclusivity, equality and respect for everyone” and that the SNP “cannot afford to have a leader who pulls us off that progressive path”.

“I am the only candidate who is ready to stand up to Westminster power grabs and vetoes, and I’m the only candidate that will ensure we maintain our pro-independence majority agreement with the Greens to ensure Holyrood is strong and united in the face of future Tory attacks,” he is expected to tell members later alongside former SNP MSP Bruce Crawford.

“That is why I am asking SNP members to open their ballot today and to make me their first choice for first minister.”

Party members will be asked to rank the three candidates in order of preference, and if no single candidate secures more than 50 per cent of votes on first preferences, the person in third place will be eliminated.

Their second preference votes will then be distributed among the two remaining candidates in order to find the winner.

Mr Yousaf will tell the event on Monday he is best placed to take the party forward.

“Today our hard-working SNP members and activists have the opportunity to elect a party leader and first minister who will champion their values by standing up to Westminster power grabs, advancing the rights of everyone in Scotland and building on a progressive policy agenda to deliver independence for Scotland,” he will tell members.

“As a proudly progressive political party, the SNP has won election after election, delivering for the people of Scotland with free education, free prescriptions, the Scottish Child Payment and protecting our beloved NHS from backdoor attempts at privatisation.

“Inclusivity, equality and respect for everyone were key pillars on which the Yes movement was built in the lead-up to 2014.

“As a party, we cannot afford to have a leader who pulls us off that progressive path that will deliver us the independence for Scotland that we crave.

“It is so important that any SNP leader and first minister stands up to Westminster attacks and attempts to undermine Scotland’s Parliament and its democratic will.

“As a government, the SNP cannot roll over and allow the Tories to trample over our democracy.”

Kate Forbes, meanwhile, is insisting she can “lead Scotland to independence” as first minister.

The current Scottish Finance Secretary spoke out as she launched a “mini manifesto” for the leadership election, setting out her stance on issues ranging from the economy, the NHS and tackling poverty and inequality.

Ms Forbes stressed the “need to make the right choice” as the “stakes are very high”.

Making a pitch to SNP members, she said: “We need a first minister who will lead us to independence, and it’s coming sooner than people think.

“I believe I’ve got what it takes to be the next first minister of Scotland, the first minister who will lead Scotland to independence.”

She added: “The question we need to answer is what kind of first minister do we need to deliver for the SNP and for Scotland?

“We need a first minister who the people of Scotland can trust – a first minister who commands confidence. No-one can accuse me of not delivering, of bending under pressure or being unprincipled.”

Ms Forbes had come under fire early in the campaign after she revealed she would not have voted for same-sex marriage if she had been at Holyrood at the time.

She went on to say if she was chosen for the job, she would “rise to the challenge” and deal with the issues that are important to Scots

She stated: “We need a first minister who understands what is important to all the people of Scotland, who understands their concerns and how to address them. I will rise to the challenge.

“We need a first minister who is a proven winner. Opinion poll after opinion poll shows me as the only candidate who can win for the SNP, and for Yes.

“I have delivered in my constituency one of the biggest votes for the SNP in the country. Let me do that across Scotland.”

Outsider Ash Regan insisted she was in the SNP leadership contest to win it.

The former community safety minister said: “I am in this competition to win it, I have been having a lot of support expressed to me.”

However, with the contest being decided by SNP members, she added that it is “fairly difficult to get an accurate idea” of their views.

Ms Regan, who quit the Scottish Government last year so she could vote against gender recognition reforms at Holyrood, accepted she is “probably the least well-known out of the candidates with less name recognition” – adding that means she has to “work that bit harder to set out my stall”.

“At the moment we understand that a large amount of the membership are still undecided, it is a very short contest.

“But I have had many people get in touch with me recently to say that they think I am the only hope for the SNP.”