Herald Poll: Is Kate Forbes the right choice for Deputy First Minister?

First Minister John Swinney has named his cabinet, keeping the same faces as his predecessor Humza Yousaf.

But the big surprise of the day is the inclusion of former Finance Secretary Kate Forbes as Deputy First Minister.

Ms Forbes comes in from the cold after a year out of Government, and will also take on the role of Economy Secretary.

Her return to the Cabinet is seen as a way for Mr Swinney to unite the factions within the SNP, and bring stability to the party.

However, Ms Forbes strong religious views – such as opposition to same sex marriage – counted heavily against her when she stood to be leader of the SNP, and have led to a degree of criticism.

The Scottish Greens say some people will have “reasonable concerns” about the return of Ms Forbes to a senior position in John Swinney’s government.

Green co-leader Lorna Slater said a change of direction from Mr Swinney’s government would lead to “disagreements” with her party.

We want to know – Is Kate Forbes a good pick for Deputy First Minister?

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Ms Forbes told journalists she was “absolutely delighted” to be Deputy First Minister and said the role was an “enormous privilege”.

However, she was asked if she had a message for the LGBT community after her previous leadership bid saw her face criticism for her views on social issues – after saying she would not have voted to legalise same-sex marriage.

She said she would support Mr Swinney in “finding places of consensus”.

The First Minister then jumped in to state: “I will be the First Minister for everyone in Scotland. Everyone.

“Whether those individuals are in the LGBT community or not. My government will aspire to be the government for everybody in this country.”