COUNT ME SWIN

Party veteran will bow to pressure and announce bid | Former first minister calls for 'civilised' leadership battle

- PAUL HUTCHEON

FORMER Deputy First Minister John Swinney will launch his leadership bid for the SNP in Edinburgh today.

Swinney will finally confirm he is running after receiving support from nearly every member of the Cabinet.

Kate Forbes, his rival for replacing Humza Yousaf, is poised to reveal her hand as well.

It comes as Nicola Sturgeon begged the party's bickering factions to "keep it civilised" as talks were launched to avoid a bitter leadership battle.

The two contenders to lead the party, Swinney and Forbes, had met up in what was thought to be a bid to reach a deal that would avoid putting the party through a divisive contest.

But no deal has yet been done, meaning a bruising leadership contest is still looming.

It is understood Swinney is not in favour of a contest and would be willing to offer Forbes a Cabinet post in return for her dropping her leadership bid.

Tensions rose when MSP Ivan McKee, a Forbes supporter, compared Swinney to the failed leadership of Yousaf in an article for the Daily Record yesterday.

In a bid to halt growing divisions within the SNP, former first minister Sturgeon spoke out yesterday to appeal for unity.

She said: "What I would say to my party is keep the contest positive, keep it civilised, keep it very much focused on the future.