Holyrood, made browsable

Forbes, Kate

Everything we have on one MSP — voting record, motions, questions, committee work, allowances, Hansard contributions, registered interests and career history — pulled together on a single page.

Forbes, Kate
MSP profile

Forbes, Kate

Former (left at end of session) Scottish National Party Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

Politically, you're most like Arthur, Tom SNP — similarity 81.0/100.

Compare with… Speeches Motions & Q+A
Divisions voted in
1,736
last on 24 Mar 2026
Party alignment
99.4%
0.6% rebellion
Attendance
85.9%
286 "Not Voted" of 2,022 divisions present
Motions lodged
133
120 questions · 1 unanswered
Hansard contributions
4,678
2,533 chamber · 2,145 committee
Allowances claimed
£381,526
2,414 transactions
Most-discussed topics in Hansard
question ·122 time ·122 cost-effectiveness ·95 public ·95 inquiries ·95 portfolio ·71 budget ·63 scrutiny ·60 2026-27 ·60 priorities ·60 inquiry ·46 general ·33
Recent motions & questions
Recent rebellions

Divisions where they voted against their party's majority position.

Motion success

Of the motions they've lodged that went to a vote, how often did the chamber agree.

Lodged
133
Carried
31
Defeated
0
Not divided
102

Of the 31 motions that went to a vote, 100.0% were carried.

Closest voting allies

MSPs who voted the same way most often across shared divisions.

Furthest apart on votes

MSPs they vote against most often.

MSPs like this one

Composite of voting agreement, sponsorship overlap, and Hansard topic affinity. Weighted 50 / 25 / 25.

Voice fingerprint

Words and phrases this MSP uses far more often than the chamber average (TF-IDF over their Hansard contributions).

tha agus idhlig covid bsl budget revision consequentials ferguson marine techscaler pandemic net zero resource spending
Voting drift across sessions

Rebellion rate (vs party majority) per session.

0.1%
S5 · SNP
0.9%
S6 · SNP
Career arc

Unified timeline: party joinings, seat changes, committee appointments, ministerial roles.

  1. ⌂
    Stood down from Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch (Dissolution)
    08 Apr 2026
  2. –
    Left Scottish National Party
    08 Apr 2026
  3. ☷
    Left Rural Affairs and Islands Committee
    10 May 2024
  4. ☷
    Left Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
    10 May 2024
  5. ★
    Appointed Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic
    09 May 2024
  6. ☷
    Joined Rural Affairs and Islands Committee as Member
    29 Jun 2023
  7. ☷
    Joined Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee as Member
    29 Jun 2023
  8. ★
    Left Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy
    28 Mar 2023
  9. ★
    Appointed Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy
    19 May 2021
  10. ★
    Left Cabinet Secretary for Finance
    19 May 2021
  11. ⌂
    Started representing Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch
    06 May 2021
  12. +
    Joined Scottish National Party
    06 May 2021
  13. ⌂
    Stood down from Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch (Dissolution)
    04 May 2021
  14. –
    Left Scottish National Party
    04 May 2021
  15. ★
    Appointed Cabinet Secretary for Finance
    18 Feb 2020
  16. ★
    Left Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy
    18 Feb 2020
  17. ★
    Appointed Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy
    28 Jun 2018
  18. ☷
    Left Health and Sport Committee
    28 Jun 2018
  19. ☷
    Left Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee
    28 Jun 2018
  20. ☷
    Left Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee
    28 Jun 2018
  21. ☷
    Joined Health and Sport Committee as Member
    19 Apr 2018
  22. ☷
    Joined Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee as Member
    19 Apr 2018
  23. ☷
    Left Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
    19 Apr 2018
  24. ☷
    Left Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee
    19 Apr 2018
  25. ☷
    Joined Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee as Member
    07 Nov 2017
  26. ☷
    Joined Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee as Substitute Member
    29 Sep 2016
  27. ☷
    Left European and External Relations Committee
    29 Sep 2016
  28. ☷
    Joined European and External Relations Committee as Substitute Member
    07 Sep 2016
  29. ☷
    Left Finance Committee
    06 Sep 2016
  30. ☷
    Joined Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee as Member
    08 Jun 2016
  31. ☷
    Joined Finance Committee as Member
    08 Jun 2016
  32. ⌂
    Started representing Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch
    05 May 2016
  33. +
    Joined Scottish National Party
    05 May 2016
Who backs their motions most
Whose motions they back most
Recent contributions to the Official Report
  • General Question Time Chamber
    25 Mar 2026
    The Scottish Government has engaged extensively with those workers. Mr Kidd’s question allows me to put on record my enormous appreciation of the constructive …
  • General Question Time Chamber
    25 Mar 2026
    We are committed to securing a just transition for Grangemouth. We have provided more than £12 million in funding to support the creation of up to 279 jobs.We …
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    18 Mar 2026
    I am aware of the Whitesands flood protection scheme. Its purpose is to combine major flood defences with significant public realm improvements. It is set to s…
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    18 Mar 2026
    As I outlined in a previous answer, we continue to deliver on our long-standing commitment to regeneration, with investment of up to £52 million next year. It …
  • Portfolio Question Time Chamber
    18 Mar 2026
    The member makes a very interesting point, and I thank him, too, for his kind comments. It is an interesting approach, and we have looked carefully at all the …
Committee & government roles

Government

Committee

Allowance — vs. party average (2025)

Per-category claim total for this MSP compared to the average per-MSP total inside their party for the same year. Positive = above party average.

Category MSP Party avg Difference
Edinburgh accommodation £11,953 £6,403 +£5,550
Engagement costs £10,176 £5,809 +£4,367
Office costs £10,321 £7,961 +£2,360
Overnight accommodation £122 £338 −£216
MSP & staff travel £773 £1,181 −£408
Registered interests

98 total · showing most recent.

  • Voluntary · 07 Jun 2021
    Two of my close family members are joint shareholders in a business which runs a bed and breakfast. I do not participate in or receive an income from the business. [Registered 5 June 2024]
  • Gifts · 07 Jun 2021
    On 24 February 2024 I and my husband attended the Scotland vs England Calcutta Cup match as guests of Heineken UK Ltd (a beverage producer, of 3 Broadway Pk, S Gyle Broadway, Edinburgh EH12 9JZ). The…
  • Gifts · 07 Jun 2021
    On 24 February 2024 I and my husband attended the Scotland vs England Calcutta Cup match as guests of Heineken UK Ltd (a beverage producer, of 3 Broadway Pk, S Gyle Broadway, Edinburgh EH12 9JZ). The…
  • Overseas visits · 07 Jun 2021
    On 9 October 2023 I gave a series of lectures to students at Wheaton College, Illinois, USA on the subjects of women in politics, the Scottish and British electoral systems and the current state of S…
  • Overseas visits · 07 Jun 2021
    On 9 October 2023 I gave a series of lectures to students at Wheaton College, Illinois, USA on the subjects of women in politics, the Scottish and British electoral systems and the current state of S…
  • Overseas visits · 07 Jun 2021
    On 9 October 2023 I gave a series of lectures to students at Wheaton College, Illinois, USA on the subjects of women in politics, the Scottish and British electoral systems and the current state of S…
  • Voluntary · 07 Jun 2021
    From 9 to 13 November 2023 I attended a conference in Liverpool as a delegate to develop and grow professional transatlantic relationships with a focus on tackling prejudice and hate. The costs, whic…
  • Voluntary · 07 Jun 2021
    From 9 to 13 November 2023 I attended a conference in Liverpool as a delegate to develop and grow professional transatlantic relationships with a focus on tackling prejudice and hate. The costs, whic…
Career timeline

Party

Seats