I got Kate Forbes job offer wrong, Humza Yousaf says

Offering Kate Forbes a 'demotion' was a mistake, former first minister Humza Yousaf has said.

Forbes, who was finance secretary under Nicola Sturgeon, was offered the rural affairs portfolio by Yousaf after he defeated her to become first minister in March 2023.

She declined the role and moved to the back benches, with Mairi Gougeon continuing as rural affairs minister.

Now Yousaf, who left office in May, has said he regrets the way he handled the job offer to Forbes.

And, in an interview with former UK Government minister for intergovernmental relations, Michael Gove, he said he was not prepared for the attacks made by Forbes on his record during the leadership contest.

The comments were made in a new BBC radio series hosted by Gove.

Yousaf, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, said he had not intended the rural affairs role as a step down for Forbes. 

However, he told Gove he should have handled the matter differently.

In an interview for the Surviving Politics series, he said: "I reflect on this a fair bit and I think ultimately, truth be told, I didn't get it right."

Yousaf said: "I think it would have made sense to have spoken more to Kate about, 'well, look, what role do you think you can do, you want to do and it’s seen as enough?'.

"I wouldn't suggest rural affairs at all as a demotion, but that's the way it was viewed and portrayed."

The pair met in St Andrew's House to discuss the offer. Yousaf said Forbes told him she would consider the move, and minutes later a member of his team showed him a tweet from The Times newspaper stating that Forbes had told him "where to shove it".

The staff member said: "I think you've got your answer."

Forbes, who was appointed deputy first minister by Yousaf's successor John Swinney, later distanced herself from that remark, saying she would "never be as impolite about any such offer".

Holyrood was told that she declined due to her opposition to Scottish Greens-backed policies including highly-protected marine areas, which came under the portfolio.

During the leadership battle, Forbes criticised Yousaf's record across government, saying: "You were a transport minister and the trains were never on time, when you were justice secretary the police were stretched to breaking point, and now as health minister we've got record high waiting times."

He told Gove that while his advisors had prepared him for the debate by posing difficult personal questions, he told them: "She's not going to do that. Kate and I are friends and we go way back."