HUMZA Yousaf has been given the backing of former deputy SNP leader, Angus Robertson, in his bid to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as party leader and First Minister.

Yousaf, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, is in a three-way contest with finance secretary Kate Forbes and former minister Ash Regan.

Robertson decided not to run for leader himself and until now did not declare support for any candidate.

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He said: "Humza is the only candidate that is willing to take on the Tories and protect Holyrood from their dirty tricks and overt power grabs on the devolution settlement.

"As First Minister I know Humza will stand up and celebrate those who we serve and build on the progressive agenda of the SNP that has won our party so much support over the years.

"Humza is the leader that our opponents fear. Humza is the leader that will take on Westminster and stand up for Scotland's democracy.

"Humza is the leader that will unite our independence movement at this important stage in our history."

Yousaf, who is the health secretary, also received support from social security minister Ben Macpherson.

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The candidates are taking part in a series of hustings for SNP members around the country and last night were engaged in the first televised debate of the contest.

While Robertson said the SNP’s opponents feared Yousaf the most, Kate Forbes said unionists feared her most.

She said: “In this election, I would encourage you to ask yourself this: which of us do unionists fear the most?

“Which plan do unionists fear the most? Who has the potential to reach out and persuade the next 10, 20, 30% to vote for independence?

“Because that is how we will deliver independence.”

Meanwhile, Regan said the other candidates’ plans for achieving independence was “wishy-washy” in seeking to get Westminster to agree to a referendum.

She said: “Basically what we’ve been doing for the last few years is that we’ve been winning elections, and we’ve been using that as a mandate, or a moral mandate ... to go and ask Westminster for a referendum.”

Instead, she said that a majority for pro-independence parties in any election should be taken as a mandate to begin negotiations over independence with the UK Government.