TAKE OUT THE TRASH

Poll favourite warns his opponents not to attack government's record

- BY PAUL HUTCHEON and CHRIS McCALL

THE SNP civil war has deepened after leadership contender Humza Yousaf warned rival Kate Forbes not to "trash" the record of the government she serves in.

Yousaf also said it would be "foolish" for either Forbes or fellow candidate Ash Regan to move the party to the right.

The three-way race has become increasingly bitter, with Forbes's opposition to same-sex marriage dominating. But the contenders have also traded blows on the record of Nicola Sturgeon's government, with Forbes and Regan against controversial gender recognition legislation.

Forbes aimed a dig at the government by saying Scotland needs "competent leaders who are able to "execute and deliver".

She also said of the troubled National Care Service plan: "I don't think a scheme can be effectively delivered unless it has the confidence of the people who are either going to be implementing it, managing it, or informing how it's run.