Scottish Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has continued to undertake her roles with vigour since revealing in early August that she would not be standing at next year’s Holyrood election. However, the clock is ticking, writes Business Editor Ian McConnell.

Kate Forbes will undoubtedly be one of the star turns at the 91st annual national conference of the SNP, which starts tomorrow.

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic understandably grabbed the headlines in early August when she revealed she would not be standing at next year’s Holyrood election.

Following this announcement, which came as a bolt from the blue, it has certainly seemed that Ms Forbes has continued to undertake her roles with vigour.

This almost makes you forget at times that the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch is not standing for re-election.

Ms Forbes has continued to come across strongly as a proponent of a pro-business approach.

This stance generally appears to have been well received by the business community. There are many in the business world who do not support the SNP or independence but respect Ms Forbes as someone who understands business and the economy. This is plain from discussions I have had with many senior people across a raft of different sectors.

From a personal perspective, something which has been striking when interviewing Ms Forbes is that she is something of a rarity among politicians in........

© Herald Scotland