SNP leadership race: What stance has the SNP Westminster group taken on Kate Forbes and her same-sex marriage stance?

There is a growing belief among many in the SNP that Kate Forbes should drop out of the leadership race.

The issue started on the same day the finance secretary confirmed her intention to run, after Ms Forbes told The Scotsman she did not support gay marriage, and would have voted against it.

She tried to argue this was about her faith, and there was no intention to take away people’s rights, but the damage was already done.

The withdrawal of support from MPs was immediate. Public finance minister Tom Arthur, minister for children Clare Haughey, and health committee convener Gillian Martin also U-turned on their endorsements.

Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes is being urged to stand down.

Stephen Flynn, the leader of the group, responded by tweeting “love is love” – a clear endorsement of gay marriage, and party policy.

The SNP is a broad church, united by independence, but there are divisions on social policies that largely stayed hidden under Nicola Sturgeon.

Ms Forbes interview changed that, with a growing belief among the SNP Westminster group that not only is Humza Yousaf the strongest candidate, but perhaps the finance secretary should drop out.

Mr Flynn’s tweet appeared to make clear where his support lies, while MPs such as Pete Wishart quickly changed their mind on her merits after the interview emerged.

The Scotsman understands there is also a belief among some in the party this is no longer a question of who would be better for them to win, but instead how quickly it can be over.

One SNP source told The Scotsman: “There is a growing sentiment among SNP MSPs and MPs that Kate Forbes should pull out of the leadership race for the good of the party.

“There is no realistic prospect of her winning and her continued presence is distracting and damaging the independence cause.”

The SNP Westminster group seems to be in agreement on this, despite previous divisions over who to support. The MPs are not a bloc, there was not a candidate universally agreed on before Ms Forbes interview, but that appears to have changed.

This is no longer about continuity Nicola Sturgeon, or which group best fits their ideals. While there may be some outliers, the general sense among MPs is that this race is over before it even began.