Kate Elizabeth Forbes (born 6 April 1990) is a Scottish politician. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election. She also served as the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy from 2020 to 2023.
Born in Dingwall, Scotland, in 1990, Forbes was raised in India and Scotland and was educated at a Scottish Gaelic school, where she became fluent in the language. She earned a BA degree in history at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and then an MSc in diaspora and migration history from the University of Edinburgh. After completing her degree, Forbes worked for a short time in the Scottish Parliament as a researcher for SNP MSP Dave Thompson. Forbes was elected to the Scottish Parliament in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election and quickly rose within the SNP. Nicola Sturgeon appointed Forbes as the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, serving as the deputy to the Scottish Finance Secretary, Derek Mackay. After Mackay resigned, Forbes was appointed Finance Secretary by Sturgeon. Her tenure was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, and its economic impact, and the cost of living crisis in the UK. Forbes has been on maternity leave since July 2022, with Deputy First Minister John Swinney covering her duties in her absence.
On announcement of Sturgeon's intention to resign as Leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland, Forbes announced her candidacy for leader in the 2023 SNP leadership election, but narrowly lost to Humza Yousaf, taking 47.9% of the vote to his 52.1% in the second ballot. Her leadership bid drew significant attention. She has membership of the Free Church of Scotland, an evangelical Calvinist denomination with socially conservative positions, and holds religious views on sexual ethics, including disavowal of sexual intercourse before marriage, rejection of same-sex marriage, and opposition to most abortions. Forbes responded to the controversy by stating that "in a free society you can do what you want". Forbes was defeated by rival candidate Humza Yousaf and he was subsequently appointed first minister. She turned down an offer to serve as rural affairs secretary in Yousaf's government and left government to sit on the SNP backbenches.

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