ALL three of the candidates vying to replace Nicola Sturgeon have hit out at the SNP's decision to ban media from hustings in the leadership contest.

Kate Forbes, Humza Yousaf, and Ash Regan have all said they would have no issue with journalists watching the debates.

SNP bosses said they had decided to keep the public out of the contest to find a new first minister as members needed "a safe space for members to ask questions of the three candidates”.

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf would not ban businesses if they miss key DRS deadline

A spokesman for the SNP's National Executive Committee said: “SNP members are the lifeblood of our party and our movement.

"It is the members who will be voting for the next leader of the party, so the SNP NEC has designed the party hustings as a safe space for members to ask questions of the three candidates.”

While broadcasters and photographers will be able to get an "establishment shot of the leadership contestants inside the hustings halls prior to the debate starting", journalists will only be able to "gather reaction from outside the hustings hall".

Nine hustings have been organised across Scotland, with the first due to take place in Cumbernauld tomorrow night.

Ms Forbes also called for the debates to be livestreamed.

She said: “As you would expect for Scotland’s biggest political party, there is considerable interest from members in listening to the forthcoming hustings.

“As the leader of the SNP will also become first minister, it is no surprise that the general public, as well as the media, are keen to follow the debate too.

“I have received messages from party members the length and breadth of Scotland because all of the spaces for the hustings have been snapped up.

“I fully believe in democracy and transparency, and I think it would be a positive thing for the hustings to be livestreamed to a significantly bigger audience – the SNP has a membership of 100,000 and most of the venues will only take a few hundred people.

“I don’t believe any of the candidates have anything to hide, in fact, it would give us a platform to set a positive example for how to have respectful, informed and varied debate.

“I hope that members of the media can be given access too – as well as the national media, I know a number of local media outlets will be very keen to cover town hall meetings that are happening on their doorstep.”

A spokesperson for Mr Yousaf's campaign said he had "already agreed to a number of TV debates throughout the course of the campaign where those who are not SNP members or cannot attend hustings can see why Humza is the top candidate to become Scotland's next First Minister and he has no problem with the media seeing any of the hustings.

"As a democratic party it is a decision for the NEC which represents members”

READ MORE: Kate Forbes was 'extremely torn' about leadership bid

Ms Regan said: "The media have a job to do, and as candidates, we have a duty to be held to scrutiny. I firmly believe we should allow access and ask that the media carry the proceedings fairly and fully; making them available to all”

During last summer's Conservative leadership contest, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss took part in 12 hustings across the country, all of which were streamed online.

Scottish Tory Chairman Craig Hoy was scathing about the SNP's decision.

He said: “The SNP are desperate for their internal civil war to be conducted in private, rather than airing their dirty linen in public, which explains this cowardly and paranoid media blackout.

“This is nothing short of a disgrace when a new SNP leader – and ultimately first minister – will be in place in just a few weeks’ time.

“The party have adopted a ‘nothing to see here’ attitude, when the public ultimately want to see the three candidates to replace Nicola Sturgeon properly scrutinised on their plans for Scotland.

“The SNP are famed for their lack of transparency but this really takes the biscuit. They have laughably said by excluding the media that these events will be a safe space for members. What do they think the media are going to do to them?

“This is a misguided decision that the SNP should rethink urgently.”

Labour's Ian Murray has written to SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell calling for a rethink.

His letter said: "The Scottish people do not have a vote in this contest to choose the next first minister, but it is vital that proper scrutiny takes place in a transparent contest."

He asked Mr Murrell to open the doors to journalists to "allow proper scrutiny of candidates."

"It is completely unacceptable that such an important contest can be conducted in secrecy with the people of Scotland given no say whatsoever in choosing their next leader.

"The next First Minister of Scotland, whoever it may be, should not be chosen behind closed doors, too scared to face the scrutiny of the public.

"The people of Scotland deserve better."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Imagine a US presidential primary being conducted behind closed doors- it just wouldn’t happen.  

“Division and disagreement has clearly boiled over in the SNP, and it seems they’ve been left with no other option than to hide under the table. It's embarrassing.

“As the SNP leadership race will determine who our next First Minister is, this contest is a matter of huge public interest and importance. It simply cannot be allowed to happen in secret.

“People across Scotland have an indisputable right to know about the prospective leaders of the country and their plans for governing. To deny people that right is to commit an act of the utmost arrogance.”