Nicola Sturgeon’s successor as SNP chief will be announced TODAY

Nicola Sturgeon‘s successor as SNP leader will be announced today after a bitter five-week battle.

Voting closes at noon in the bitter contest that has threatened to rip the nationalists to shreds, with the winner declared around 2pm.

But the identity of the new party chief is still too close to call, with Humza Yousaf and Kate Forbes both hoping to come out on top.

Many believe the outcome will depend on the second preferences of those who back the other candidate, Ash Regan, in the first round. Ms Forbes is likely to be the main beneficiary if she is eliminated and her support is redistributed under the SNP’s voting system.

Whoever emerges triumphant is expected to be installed as Scottish First Minister tomorrow – and will face a huge task to restore the SNP’s fortunes as Labour gains ground north of the border and the prospects of an independence referendum dwindle.

The identity of the new SNP leader is still too close to call, with Huma Yousaf (left) and Kate Forbes (centre) both hoping to come out on top. Ash Regan (right) is expected to come third, but the second preferences of her backers could be key

Nicola Sturgeon shocked the political world in February when she announced she would be stepping down after more than eight years in the job

Ms Sturgeon shocked the political world in February when she announced she would be stepping down after more than eight years in the job.

The fate of the three candidates is set to be revealed at the BT Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh this afternoon.

A vote in Holyrood will follow tomorrow to confirm the SNP leader as First Minister.

The leadership contest has seen brutal clashes between candidates and the dramatic resignation of chief executive Peter Murrell following controversy over the transparency of SNP membership numbers.

Frontrunners Mr Yousaf, 37, and Ms Forbes, 32, have torn into each other’s records in government and social views during TV debates.

Ms Forbes, a devout Christian, endured a difficult start to her campaign after she admitted she would not have voted in favour of gay marriage and condemned the SNP’s abortive attempt to loosen gender identity rules.

There has been almost no polling of the 70,000 SNP members who will decide the winner.

But wider surveys have put the candidates almost neck and neck, with Mr Yousaf favoured among SNP voters. Ipsos Scotland research gave him a net favourability of 11 per cent, compared with 6 per cent for Ms Forbes.

But the Finance Secretary is preferred by the general public, with a net popularity rating of minus 8 per cent, compared with the Health Secretary’s minus 20 per cent.

Labour has been gleeful about the SNP turmoil, with experts suggesting the party could be in a position to pick up significant numbers of seats in Scotland at the next general election.

But Tory ministers have made little secret about their relief at the departure of Ms Sturgeon, who has dominated politics north of the border for nearly a decade.

There was a toe-curling eight-second silence when Michael Gove was asked for Ms Sturgeon‘s ‘biggest achievement’ during an interview yesterday.

The Levelling Up Secretary seemed completely stumped after being prompted to pay tribute to the outgoing Scottish First Minister as he appeared on the BBC‘s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

Mr Gove stared at the floor and frowned as the presenter waited patiently for his verdict on the SNP chief.

The Tory minister finally managed: ‘I don’t want to say anything bad or… what’s the word, negative about Nicola Sturgeon.

‘Because I think that she is a dedicated public servant and she has devoted her life to public service.

‘And as First Minister of Scotland I worked with her during the pandemic. I know that she was committed to coming to the right conclusions in the interests of the people of Scotland.

‘I fundamentally disagree with her on many things, but I wish her well.’