SNP leadership race: how will it work and who is favourite to replace Sturgeon?

Who are the contenders and how might the leadership battle affect wider British politics, asks Sean O’Grady

Three contenders are expected to go through to the members’ vote ( PA)

Three official candidates will compete for the leadership of the Scottish National Party and to be the next first minister of Scotland. Roughly 100,000 SNP members are eligible to vote, and the result will be announced soon after the polls close on 27 March. After the shock departure of Nicola Sturgeon, who has been at or near the top of Scottish politics for two decades, the eventual winner will find they have a hard act to follow.

What happens now?

Jostling began almost as soon as Sturgeon quit on 15 February, and much has happened since – not least the rows about finance minister Kate Forbes’s views on sexual morality. Forbes is still in the running, and is joined by bookies’ favourite Humza Yousaf along with Ash Regan, a former minister who stood down in protest at the Gender Recognition Reform Bill.