The SNP candidate that could be Sunak’s secret weapon

In less than 24 hours the winner of the SNP leadership contest will be announced. Yet it’s safe to say that whoever triumphs, the growing consensus is that the result will be a net plus for the SNP’s political opponents. Over the course of the short contest – sparked by Nicola Sturgeon’s surprise resignation – the party has given way to in-fighting as Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan have torn chunks out of one another. There has been collateral – with Peter Murrell, Sturgeon’s husband, resigning as SNP chief executive along with communications director Murray Foote over an alleged cover up over a fall in the party’s membership numbers.

But who wins still matters when it comes to the challenge facing Labour and the Tories. Sturgeon’s departure could pave the way to a Scottish Labour resurgence that helps Keir Starmer find a path to a majority at the next election.