BADENOCH DEFENDS FORBES’ RIGHT TO OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch has emerged as one of the few politicians willing to go out and bat for Kate Forbes’s ailing SNP leadership campaign. Speaking at a Politico event last night, the star culture warrior told Jack Blanchard that while she personally supports gay marriage, as equalities minister it’s one of her “basic responsibilities” to defend freedom of religion. She later noted her “surprise” at Politico trying to get her to condemn Forbes’s position…

“I support same sex marriage and like anyone I’m disappointed when anyone disagrees with me. But if you’re asking me to condemn someone for their religious views you’ve failed to understand the basic responsibilities of being minister for equality.”

“I actually admire her for not being dishonest. It’d be very easy for her to tell lies, just so that she could win that election, and she’s not doing that, and I think that that’s something that people need to take into account.”

Badenoch accused SNP MSPs who have since withdrawn their support of lacking seriousness as politicians, asking why they supported her in the first place given Forbes’s religious views have been well known for some time.

“I do think that those people who are withdrawing support from her, I’d ask ‘why did you support her in the first place’? Because I don’t think what she’s saying is new, and I think it shows a level of unseriousness of many people who engage in political activity and comentary, where they don’t take things seriously in terms of ‘why am I supporting this person’?”

Just the endorsement Forbes needs – from someone largely responsible for blocking a Holyrood bill that caused the downfall of Nicola Sturgeon…