Next SNP Leader Odds: Contenders to lead the Scottish National Party following Nicola Sturgeon's resignation

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has instructed her party to elect a new leader.

We look at the contenders and odds on who could be her successor.

UPDATE - The SNP has confirmed that a new leader will be named on Monday, March 27, and it looks as if Humza Yousaf has the backing of the majority of his party to become the next leader of the SNP.

In what took the world of politics by surprise, Sturgeon announced her decision to step down in a news conference on Wednesday 15th February 2023.

In her exit speech, she declined to back anyone as her successor, insisting among the members of the SNP there are plenty of options.

We've taken a look at the odds and have highlighted the three most likely candidates to take over the role.

Angus Robertson

The current Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture is looked upon as the most likely successor to Sturgeon.

He has held prominent roles within the party before, being the former deputy leader of the party (2016 to 2018) and he served as the Leader of the SNP in the House of Commons from 2007 to 2017. Robertson has been a member of the SNP all of his adult life.

However, during the 2017 election, he lost his seat in Moray and was not involved in frontline politics before he won the Holyrood seat of Edinburgh Central in 2021.

Upon his return, Sturgeon made him part of her cabinet as constitution secretary, one of the most vital roles in Scotland vs England politics.

Robertson is the early favourite in the betting, starting as the odds-on favourite in the initial markets before settling at around 6/5.

Kate Forbes

Despite being one of the younger members of the SNP (she was born in 1990) and seen by some as a relative newcomer to Scottish politics, Kate Forbes has had a meteoric rise in the party after being a backbencher for a number of years.

She became the Finance Secretary following the surprise resignation of her predecessor Derek Mackay and she was left to deliver the 2020 Scottish Budget with just a few hours' notice.

Forbes has in the past upset SNP supporters in the LGBTQ+ community with her views as she is opposed to same-sex marriage and abortion and is a firm Christian, views that may not be compatible with being Scotland's First Minister. 

However, she is currently on maternity leave following the birth of her first child and several news outlets have said that is it not yet known if she intends to stand, however, Forbes has yet to comment. 

Forbes is currently priced as the second favourite in the next SNP Leader odds and at odds of 10/3 could prove some value.

John Swinney

Many would assume that the current Deputy Leader of the SNP would be the most obvious choice to succeed Nicola Sturgeon, especially as he has led the party before.

John Swinney became leader of the SNP in 2000 after the resignation of Alex Salmond but a series of failures in the election results prompted his exit.

However, given his previous time in the role, he may be reluctant to step back into the breach. 

Swinney is currently priced around the 12/1 mark and could offer excellent value to the early backers.

Other Runners

The trio above are by no means meant as a comprehensive list as more names go in the hat the list will grow longer. However, looking purely at the betting sites odds contenders to consider include; Mairi Mcallan the current Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform, besides the long title the former lawyer has spent just two years at Holyrood but has been an advisor to Sturgeon, however her age and inexperience may go against her. 

The Depute Leader of the Scottish National Party and Justice Secretary, Keith Brown must also be considered as having spent so long in Scottish politics but he has been in the limelight recently over the course of the trans prison scandal which could see his options of being the leader reduced.

Also in the running is Humza Yousaf, currently acting as Health Secretary and is known as being politically ambitious, he was in the press recently as he was taking against child nursery to court for discrimination after his daughter was denied a place, a case he dropped at the start of the month.