Ash Regan

Who is Ash Regan? The SNP gender rebel aiming to unite independence parties. MSP quit her role as community safety minister in 2022. Rebecca McCurdy,Joe ...

[remains committed to the SNP](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/snp-mhairi-black-ian-blackford-nicola-sturgeon-health-secretary-b2290255.html) whatever happens and will [respect the result](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/snp-nicola-sturgeon-humza-yousaf-scottish-government-bbc-b2304912.html) of the poll of SNP members after her suggestion that voters be allowed to edit their ballots was rejected. [“hit the ground running”](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/snp-nicola-sturgeon-edinburgh-humza-yousaf-nhs-b2303006.html), promising to support the NHS and tackle the cost of living crisis. Ms Regan told the BBC she felt optimistic about the outcome of the leadership vote because there has been a “material change in circumstances” within the SNP, which meant that many voters would no longer want a “continuity candidate” to succeed Ms Sturgeon. [support for the right to equal marriage](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/humza-yousaf-nicola-sturgeon-first-minister-forbes-snp-b2287048.html) after Ms Forbes came under fire for saying she would not have voted for same-sex marriage because of her religious faith. Ms Regan said her proposal “sets up a permanent mechanism to run each and every election in Scotland as an opportunity for the people of Scotland to express their will over whether they want to govern themselves”. Ms Regan has said she accepts that she is “probably the least well-known out of the candidates with less name recognition”, adding that means she has to “work that bit harder to set out my stall”. [Joanna Cherry](/topic/joanna-cherry) came out early in support of Ms Regan’s candidacy, saying she has shown “courage” and “leadership” in standing against the gender reforms. As a candidate for first minister, Ms Regan has made ditching the gender reforms and renewing the focus on Scottish independence the lead items on her campaign agenda. She later earned a diploma in public relations at the London School of Public Relations in 2007 and an MSc in development management at the Open University. [Scottish independence](/topic/scottish-independence) and who want to see the the gender policies she opposed dropped. As first minister, she would seek to unite the wider independence movement and create a “convention” of all pro-independence groups, she has promised. [Scottish National Party](/topic/scottish-national-party) (SNP) rebel after she resigned from her ministerial position in protest at the Scottish government’s gender reform plans.