Kate Forbes is the first SNP leadership candidate to agree to public hustings in Highlands
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Kate Forbes is the first SNP leadership candidate to confirm her willingness to participate in a hustings arranged by Highland News & Media (HNM).
A spokesman for the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch said she would happily attend the HNM hustings to take questions from the public and the media on issues facing the Highlands so long as she was available on the proposed dates.
More than a week ago the publisher offered to stage an event so candidates in the SNP leadership race could address issues affecting the region but party bosses have not yet confirmed whether they will or will not agree to the proposal.
HNM head of content and audience Sarah Fyfe said: “We are committed to making sure voices across the Highlands and Moray are heard on a national level. That’s why we extended an offer to the SNP to facilitate, broadcast, and cover the cost of a debate.
“We welcome the news that Kate Forbes is willing to participate, and I look forward to hearing from the other candidates – this is an opportunity for them to show they care about the issues that are important to us in the north of Scotland.”
The issue around the SNP’s own hustings sparked a furious backlash after its national executive committee (NEC) would exclude everyone except party members and the events would not be available publicly at all.
Instead the party chose to stage its own event at Eden Court’s 250-seat OneTouch theatre in preference to the 830 capacity Empire Theatre next door, which would clearly allow for more members to attend.
Since then, the NEC has partially backtracked claiming it is “in discussion with media outlets making a request for access to our members' hustings event in Cumbernauld” and that it is “looking at ways to make content available to our wider membership for the remainder of this series of events”.
