Key events
Regan says she would “review” the powersharing agreement with the Greens to ensure it was “working for the people of Scotland”.
The Scottish Greens have been seen as hardline on gender reform, while Regan has said she would not challenge the UK Government’s move to block the legislation passed by MSPs in December.
Asked if she would scrap the deal, the former minister said:
I think we need to review whether that arrangement has been working for the people of Scotland.
Health secretary Yousaf describes the deal as “vital”, while Forbes says it would be for the Greens to decide if they were happy with her approach if she won the leadership contest.
The first question Mackay puts to the three candidates is on how and when they would deliver a second Scottish independence referendum.
Regan says the party has spent years seeking what she defines as a “moral mandate” and “begging” Westminster for “what is really an advisory referendum”.
She says she would create a “permanent mechanism” for Scots to express when the time is right for a referendum on independence.
Forbes responds by saying Scotland will have a referendum once the SNP has persuaded the majority of Scots to vote for independence.
She says:
That requires a leader … who can also reach out to those who are not yet persuaded.
Yousaf says he is the only candidate who will stand up against Westminster’s section 35 veto.
He adds:
The way we get independence is to build popular support, consistent majority support for independence will mean the political obstacles put up by Westminster, they will be overcome.
It is, however, telling that all three candidates have swerved Mackay asking for a date for any potential referendum.
Now is the turn of Kate Forbes to set out her stall in this leadership debate. She says her priorities include eradicating poverty, tackling the cost of living crisis and reforming the NHS.
She says the key to achieving her aims is by building a “world-leading green economy capable of driving growth for generations to come”.
The SNP finance secretary says “more of the same … is an acceptance of mediocrity”.
She continues:
It’s time for change, continuity won’t cut it – tonight, I offer a new start for Scotland.
More of the same is not a manifesto – it’s an acceptance of mediocrity. We can do better.
She adds that it is time “for a new generation to lead, and I am ready and able to lead that new generation”.
Leadership candidate Humza Yousaf kicks off by saying he will build on “our government’s radical and progressive agenda” and claims only independence “will unleash our nation’s potential”.
He says independence for Scotland is “normal” and “inevitable” and says he will take the campaign to “new heights where the will of the Scottish people can no longer be denied”.
He continues:
I will build a wellbeing economy with people at the heart, so we can ensure that every child in Scotland, like my girls, has the best start in life, rich with opportunities no matter your background.
I am the only candidate who will stand up to Westminster’s power grab and defend our democracy, maintain a pro-independence majority in parliament, and I’m the only candidate who is unequivocally committed to protecting and advancing the rights of all those we serve.
As first minister, at every turn, I will serve you the people of Scotland.
Debate starts
The SNP leadership debate begins with STV’s host Colin Mackay asking the three candidates for a minute-long opening statement each.
Ash Regan goes first and immediately tells viewers the party has “lost its way”. She goes on to say she will launch a new campaign for independence.
She says:
There’s been no progress on independence in the last few years, despite the worst UK government of all time. We used to grow support for independence by governing wisely, and it worked.
At every election going forward, we will make it crystal clear that a majority of votes for the SNP will be a democratic mandate for independence.
My priority as leader will be to deliver effective government that responds to the needs of the people of Scotland. At the same time, we will build the foundations for independence through a dedicated commission, and launch a new independence campaign through a national convention.
A vote for me is a vote for a better Scotland for all of us, through independence.
One of the candidates to become the next leader of the SNP, Humza Yousaf, has been out and about campaigning with student supporters and activists at Glasgow University union earlier today.
He was later joined by prominent supporters Kaukab Stewart and Angus Robertson.
Welcome to the liveblog
Good evening and welcome to the first SNP leadership debate blog. Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan will all set out their visions for Scotland as they battle it out to succeed the outgoing leader Nicola Sturgeon.
We will be bringing you all the latest from the STV debate, which is due to get under way at 9pm and is expected to last just over an hour.
The contest has already become an existential fight over the SNP’s direction, policies and ethos. The two leading candidates, Yousaf and Forbes, are setting out competing visions – Yousaf is the continuity candidate and Forbes, 32, the youthful counter-revolutionary.
And the contest could end with the socially conservative Forbes, a committed member of the Calvinist Free Church of Scotland, as Scotland’s next first minister.
Indeed many of Sturgeon’s major policies are now under threat with deep divisions emerging, as rivals attack key pieces of legislation.
The gulf will become clearer when the two frontrunners and the third contender, Ash Regan, face off in Glasgow shortly, in what will be the first of four televised debates.
