WATCH: Kate Forbes says SNP can be trusted despite First Minister backing shamed ex-minister

Kate Forbes today said the Highland voters can still trust the SNP despite First Minister John Swinney backing shamed ex-cabinet secretary Michael Matheson over an £11,000 bill run-up during a family trip to Morocco in late 2022.

Mr Matheson, the former health secretary, refused to resign after first claiming he used the device for work but later admitted his sons used it to watch a football match before paying back the cash.

Holyrood's standards committee recommended that Mr Matheson should be suspended from parliament for 27 days and should not be paid his salary for 54 days – yet Mr Swinney backed his "friend and colleague" saying he had "made mistakes".

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Shortly after that, the SNP launched its own general election campaign but the issue followed Deputy First Minister Forbes to a campaign stop today at Birchwood Croft, near Farr – part of the new Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire seat.

There she was asked how Highland voters can trust the SNP when Mr Swinney appears to trust someone who the standards committee deems untrustworthy.

“Highland voters can trust the SNP because of our track record and the interest of the SNP MPs who represent this area. Drew Hendry has done an enormous amount of work across the Highlands in terms of energy bills, delivery charges.

“We have Lucy Beattie [Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross candidate] who understands rural Scotland, is a crofter herself. “And Graham Ledbetter [SNP candidate for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey] who has represented the Moray coast for a number of years.

“So my message to Highland voters is – look at your candidates, see what they have already delivered for the Highlands, and know that if you send SNP MPs to represent the Highlands they will do just that.”

During last year’s SNP leadership campaign between Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, Mr Hendry first backed Ms Forbes and then withdrew his support over her statements about her religious beliefs.

Asked about that, the Deputy First Minister was still willing to back Mr Hendry, saying: “I am more than delighted to give my support to colleagues that I have worked with over the last few years and who I know worked tirelessly.

“I can absolutely give an account of how hard Drew works across the Highlands and in a number of different issues like energy bills would not have had the attention they had without his loud voice at Westminster.”

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