Kate Forbes still has backing of Ayr MSP as pressure mounts on SNP leadership hopeful over gay marriage beliefs
Under-fire Kate Forbes is continuing to count on the backing of Ayr's MSP in her bid for Scotland's top job.Siobhian Brown is among those to have publically declared their support for the Finance Secretary, who is coming under mounting pressure to bin her SNP leadership campaign just days after launching.Ms Brown, the member for Ayr, Prestwick and Troon, today refused to pull her support for the embattled candidate despite Ms Forbes coming under fire for her stance on gay marriage.The MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch said she would have voted against same-sex marriage had she been a member of parliament at the time.Her remarks, based on her deep religious faith, have led to intense calls for her to ditch her campaign just days after she announced her intention to replace Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister.When asked about her thoughts on equal marriage, Ms Forbes said: "I believe that it should be a conscience vote because of its profound significance in all mainstream faiths," she said."I think for me, Angela Merkel is the example I would follow, I would have voted, as a matter of conscience, along the lines of mainstream teaching in most major religions that marriage is between a man and a woman."But I would have respected and defended the democratic choice that was made."On Monday, Ayr MSP Ms Brown used her own Facebook page to reveal she was backing Ms Forbes for the top job.A number of high profile party figures have since withdrawn their own support for the finance secretary in light of her comments.And outgoing First Minister, Ms Sturgeon, said: "I don't think it is going to surprise anybody to hear that I take a very different view [from Ms Forbes] on these issues."But when Ayrshire Live contacted her office,
