SNP leadership candidate Kate Forbes would not be elected leader of the Conservative Party due to her opposition to gay marriage William Hague has said.
Forbes was seen as the frontrunner to replace Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland’s first minister, but her campaign has been damaged afters he confirmed she would not have voted for same-sex marriage.
A number of early supporters of Forbes’ campaign have already withdrawn their backing, just one day after she launched her bid.
Speaking to Times Radio, former Tory leader William Hague said Forbes’ views on LGBT+ rights would be too conservative for his own party.
“In practice, I think you couldn’t get elected leader of the Conservative Party now, with the view that she has,” he said.
“So try getting elected leader of a more left wing party with that view. That’s the difficulty that she’s got.”
Hague added: “If you want to be a leader you have to decide whether you’re accepting of what’s become the national culture or not. And I think in those cases, it’s very difficult to be a leader.
“We’re talking about an issue which has become part of the culture of the country around the United Kingdom over the last 10 years. People will be concerned about future decisions.”
Forbes, Scotland’s finance minister, is running against health secretary Humza Yousaf and former community safety minister Ash Regan to replace Sturgeon.
A member of the Free Church of Scotland, Forbes was asked on BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme if her campaign was over before it began. “Absolutely not,” she said.
MSPs voted to legalise gay marriage in 2014, with an overwhelming majority of 105 votes to 18. Forbes was not elected to Holyrood until 2016.