Who could be Scotland's new first minister as Humza Yousaf 'prepares to quit'? ... trends now
Humza Yousaf is on the brink of quitting as Scotland's First Minister after little more than a year in Bute House.
The SNP leader prompted an extraordinary meltdown by sacking the Scottish Greens as his power-sharing partners at Holyrood.
But Mr Yousaf was then left facing the real possibility of losing a no confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament after the Greens turned against him.
It has left the SNP with the prospect of a second divisive leadership contest within 18 months.
So, who might consider a bid to replace Mr Yousaf as SNP leader and first minister?
Kate Forbes
Kate Forbes was narrowly defeated by Mr Yousaf in last year's SNP leadership election as the party chose a successor to Nicola Sturgeon.
The 34-year-old secured 48 per cent of the vote to Mr Yousaf's 52 per cent after second preferences were counted.
Ms Forbes was previously the Scottish Government's finance secretary, having become the first woman to hold the post in February 2020.
She went on maternity leave in July 2022 - the first ever serving Scottish Cabinet secretary to do so - and gave birth to her daughter Naomi in August that year.
Ms Forbes, who is married to Ali MacLennan, has been touted as a future SNP leader since entering the Scottish Parliament as MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch in 2016.
The daughter of missionaries, Ms Forbes spent much of her childhood in India.
She is a member of the Free Church of Scotland, sometimes known as the 'Wee Frees', which is opposed to gay marriage and believes there are few circumstances in which abortion is justified.
Ms Forbes has previously said she has been 'guilty' of 'tiptoeing around' her Christian faith in interviews.
Ms Sturgeon's administration was accused of rushing through its controversial gender identity reforms in late 2022, while Ms Forbes remained on maternity leave, in order to prevent a potential revolt by her.
Jenny Gilruth
Jenny Gilruth is the Scottish Government's education and skills secretary and MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes.
The 39-year-old is married to Kezie Dugdale, the former Scottish Labour leader.
Prior to entering politics, Ms Gilruth was a secondary school teacher in Edinburgh and Dunfermline.
In a stint as Scotland's transport minister between 2022 and 2024, she had to deal with a pay dispute between train drivers and ScotRail bosses.
Ms Gilruth has already been dubbed the 'Stop Kate Forbes' candidate, with it thought allies of Mr Yousaf and Ms Sturgeon could rally round her.
John Swinney
John Swinney was Scotland's deputy first minister in Ms Sturgeon's administration at Holyrood.
The 60-year-old has been an MSP ever since the Scottish Parliament's creation in 1999.
He has held a series of top Cabinet jobs in the Scottish
