Scotland’s national clinical director has got involved in the SNP leadership contest by praising the “courage” of Christian Kate Forbes and claiming her candidacy is “an important moment”
Jason Leitch, who is himself a Baptist, also said he hoped she would “find a way” through the “challenges and questions” she will face, adding there was empathy for her “particular Christianity”.
He said: “So we do pray for Kate and her family at this difficult time when she's put our head above this particular parapet.”
A Scottish government spokesperson, asked about Leitch’s duty of impartiality as a civil servant, said: “Jason Leitch stated clearly that he wasn’t suggesting how anyone should vote.”
Forbes is vying with Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan in the battle to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and First Minister.
A key issue in the contest has been the Finance Secretary’s social conservatism on abortion and same sex marriage.
Leitch, who was one of the public faces of the Government’s covid response, made an address earlier this month to the congregation at Airdrie Baptist Church that mentioned Forbes and the SNP contest. It is available on YouTube.
The civil servant said: “If you'll indulge me, I think we should also pray for our government. I'm perhaps closer to that in my life than some of you, but we have Christian standing to be the First Minister of the country.
“Whether you like the politics of the country or the politics of... that's quite a moment. We have an evangelical, born again Christian standing to be the First Minister of this country. That feels like an important moment to me. I don't know how that feels to you.”
He added: “There might be some SNP members in this room. I have absolutely no idea who will have a vote in that upcoming election. I'm not suggesting that I should tell you how to vote, or how to do that, but it seems an important moment to pray for our nation, and those who lead it.”
He also said: "We pray for our own government. We pray for this challenging period where the leadership is shifting. We do pray for those of faith, who are in government, whether they're in the civil service or the executive leads, or in the elected groups.
“And we pray for Kate Forbes. We pray for her witness. We thank you for her courage over the last few weeks. And we pray for all of those in her position with a faith, and we pray that she will be able to find a way through some of those challenges and questions and difficulties that she will face, like all politicians do, but we feel an empathy with her particular value system and her particular Christianity.
“So we do pray for Kate and her family at this difficult time when she's put our head above this particular parapet.”
Civil servants must abide the organisation's core values including impartiality.
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