Being a mum is harder than being deputy first minister, says Kate Forbes

Three months ago, Forbes - once a rising star of the SNP government - dropped the bombshell that she would not stand in next year's Scottish election.

She insists she has had no wobbles since her announcement that she would now focus on family life.

We are meeting in her hometown of Dingwall, 168 miles from Edinburgh where the Scottish Parliament sits.

It is by any stretch, a hefty weekly commute and coupled with a young family and a demanding job, she says it became too big a challenge.

A young high-flier, Forbes was thrust into the spotlight in February 2020 when she was promoted to finance secretary following the resignation of Derek MacKay.

Earlier that month, with less than 24-hours' notice, she had become the first woman to deliver a Scottish Budget.

Forbes marked another first when she became the first Scottish minister to take maternity leave, when she left to have her daughter Naomi in August 2022.

Already a step mum to three daughters, it was coming back to work after having Naomi that saw problems appear.

She said: "I went back to work post maternity leave. It has always felt impossible. Every day has felt like an exercise in logistical impossibilities, and we got through it."

It was after a summer break with the family that she decided not to return to politics.

"Then it was like this epiphany - this bolt from the blue - that I didn't have to," she said. "I had choices I could make."

Despite Holyrood's claim to be a family-friendly parliament, four female MSPs cited family as their reason for not seeking re-election in 2021.

This year it emerged seven MSPs were choosing to leave after only a single term at Holyrood.

All are female, and concerns have been raised about young women like Natalie Don-Innes - a promising junior minister - leaving parliament to focus on their families.

Forbes has criticised the Scottish Parliament's crèche facilities, which are only available for three hours a day from Tuesday to Thursday.

The Scottish Parliament said its creche capacity was limited due to space but added it was "constantly looking" for ways to support members with caring responsibilities.

The deputy first minister said: "I am not the first and, unless anything changes, I am unlikely to be the last.

"So many parents know the pressures and the guilt of balancing all of this."

Since announcing her decision to leave, she says other women have spoken to her about the difficulties they face in juggling motherhood and work.

"I hear that a lot from other women and I will hear it in the context of it being really difficult but not as difficult as my life and my job. My response to them is always, from someone who has done the second biggest job in the Scottish government and been a mum - being a mum is harder."

In her 10 years at Holyrood, Forbes rose through the ranks to her current position as John Swinney's deputy.

She was seen as a potential future first minister, and came out of maternity leave early to run in the party's leadership race after the departure of Nicola Sturgeon.

In March 2023, she came second to Humza Yousaf in that race.

During the leadership campaign, Forbes faced criticism for her stance on issues like gay marriage, gender and children born outside marriage.

"The problem with our media culture is there is no space for nuance. In a lot of these issues there needs to be space for genuine open conversation," she said.

Asked what she would do if one of her girls came to her and said, 'Mum I am pregnant' or 'I am gay' or 'I am trans', she says: "Exactly as I would handle anything they come and speak to me about.

"Exactly as any mum would handle anything from a daughter or son, which is 'What do you need?'

"I am not challenging the question - but I think the premise of that question is the suggestion that people of faith can't love their kids in the same way that anyone can love their kids. All of us - faith or no faith - have a moral compass by which they live their lives."

A mother has never been first minister of Scotland.

Given her experience, Forbes says she does think it would be possible, but with certain adjustments.

"Yes - but only with the right support around her," she said. "Government taking seriously that she may not be able to do commitments before a certain time in the morning.

"It would need civil service support around her - including recognition that she will need support with her children and her family."