KATE OUT TO PASTURE

Forbes rejects rural role & quits Cabinet to return to backbenchers. Sturgeon ally Shona Robison is made new Deputy First Minister. Michael Matheson tipped to take on the challenging NHS brief »Junior ministers. Neil Gray and Mairi McAllan expected to join Cabinet

- PAUL HUTCHEON

KATE Forbes sensationally quit the SNP government last night after being hit with a demotion by First Minister Humza Yousaf.

Forbes will return to the backbenches after rejecting Yousaf's offer of Rural Affairs Secretary-seen as a major step down from her current finance role.

A source close to Forbes said last night: "She told him where to stick it." Ex-SNP minister Alex Neil branded the offer an "insult" amid warnings it will worsen SNP divisions.

He added it was "not a real effort to unite. A poor start".

And former MSP Joan McAlpine, a Forbes supporter, said it was "so obviously a demotion" and Forbes had "no option but to go".

Yousaf narrowly defeated Forbes in the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon to become the new SNP leader and First Minister.

The pair clashed repeatedly throughout the bitter contest, with Forbes attacking Yousaf's record in Government. Senior SNP sources hoped unity could be restored by Forbes landing a big job in Yousaf's Government.

But hopes of SNP wounds healing were dashed after she was offered one of the most junior positions in the Cabinet.

She was also sitting in the back row of the chamber when Yousaf was voted in as First Minister.

One SNP source last night claimed Forbes could now position herself as the leader of a powerful group of backbenchers "making life difficult for Yousaf".

But she later tweeted: "To the great credit of Humza Yousaf, the first official conversation he had after Monday's result was with me.