The SNP’s purity test

It seems as if Kate Forbes is about to achieve the remarkable distinction of losing an election as a result of a policy which she has not advanced and has no intention of enacting. It wasn’t she who raised the issue of gay marriage this week, but those who interviewed her after she announced her intention to stand in the Scottish National party leadership contest. Would she disavow the views of her church on sex, marriage and abortion? She would not. Her supporters peeled away.

Just like the old Test Act, where Scots in public life had to swear they held no Catholic beliefs, a new test is emerging for would-be party leaders. Anyone religious is expected to distance themselves from ‘problematic’ doctrine: this isn’t about what they would do, but what they think. Those from traditional Christian, Muslim or Jewish backgrounds risk effectively being barred from leadership if they follow their family’s faith.