THE GLOVES COME OFF..

Front-runners go for jugular, with Yousaf attacked over record in government and Forbes accused of planning to take party to right

HUMZA Yousaf insisted he would not allow the SNP to "lurch to the right" as he clashed with Kate Forbes during a stormy TV debate last night.

In extraordinary scenes, the Health Secretary was forced to defend his record in government from his own Cabinet colleague in the highest profile event so far in the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon.

Forbes, the Finance Secretary, used her chance to cross-examine Yousaf during a live debate on STV to go on the attack and question his competence to lead the country.

She said: "Humza, you've had a number of jobs in government.

"When you were transport minister, the trains were never on time.

"When you were justice minister, the police were strained to breaking point.

5/10 Regan was at her strongest when pointing out the lack of success in Nicola Sturgeon's strategy on independence.

Her weakness was in articulating an alternative that did not sound ridiculous.

She has struggled during the race to sound credible and the debate will do little to turn around her campaign.

"And now as Health Minister, we've got record high waiting times. What makes you think you can do a better job as first minister?" Yousaf fired back that he was happy to be branded a "continuity candidate" after he won the backing of most senior members of the SNP.

He also took a swipe at Forbes' social views after she previously said she would have voted against single-sex marriage legislation if she had been an MSP at the time.

She lost the support of several MSPs and MPs as a result and has since tried to reinvent herself as the pro-business candidate in the leadership race.

Yousaf said: "What I would say to you about continuity is I'm my own man. I'll bring my own leadership style if and when I'm first minister of Scotland.