SNP leadership nominations to close as Ash Regan joins race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon – UK politics live

Regan is third candidate to be Scotland’s first minister, with Kate Forbes and Humza Yousaf, with nominations closing at noon

Ash Regan is joining the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon today. Assuming no one else decides to jump in before nominations close at midday, she will be facing Kate Forbes and Humza Yousaf, who are also running for the party’s leadership.

The Edinburgh Eastern MSP has the support of about 7% of SNP voters as the race starts, according to a poll released on Friday. As she launches her campaign, she gas intimated she wants to let groups who worked for the wider Yes movement in the run-up to 2014 take the lead on independence, while the Scottish government focuses on running the country.