SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has defended his decision to seek a seat at Holyrood while continuing as an MP, but claimed it is “not a pleasant situation” for him or the MSP he is seeking to oust.
Mr Flynn set off a political firestorm inside his own party earlier this week when he announced he was seeking the candidacy in the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat – which overlaps with part of his Westminster constituency but is currently held by Audrey Nicoll.
The Sunday Mail reported sources close to Ms Nicoll said Mr Flynn attempted to have her step aside during a phone conversation the night before the announcement was made, which the Westminster leader described as a “lie”.
Asked on the BBC’s Sunday Show about the reaction within the party, Mr Flynn said: “There’s always going to be a strong reaction to someone seeking to do things differently, I’ve experienced this before in politics.
“It’s not something which is particularly pleasant, it’s not something which is particularly comfortable, particularly when you’re dealing with people who you know really well, you’re dealing with, in my case, a colleague who overlaps almost entirely with the constituency that I currently represent at Westminster.
“This is not a pleasant situation for either of us.
“All I’m seeking to do is ask the members who vote for us, who ultimately decide who their candidate is going to be, to make a decision.”
The SNP has been critical in recent years of dual mandates – where a single person sits in both Westminster and Holyrood – and regularly attacked former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross when he did so, even changing internal rules ahead of the 2021 election to ensure MPs seeking election would have to quit before they would be allowed to run.
The change was widely seen as an attempt to prevent then-Edinburgh South West MP and frequent internal party critic Joanna Cherry from standing.
I'm not going to be hounded out from standing for what I believe in, which is to represent the people of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine
The party’s ruling body – the National Executive Committee (NEC) – could decide to scrap the rule for contests ahead of 2026, but if not, the Aberdeen South MP said he would continue his work as an MP and campaigning for Scottish independence “from the bench or from the stands”.
But despite the internal backlash, Mr Flynn was defiant.
“None of this is particularly edifying for anyone,” he said.
“I don’t want to be having these discussions on television, trying to defend myself over lies and fabrications that are in newspapers this morning, but that’s the reality of politics.
“Sometimes it’s not pleasant.
“I’m not going to shy away, I’m not going to be hounded out from standing for what I believe in, which is to represent the people of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine.”
In a post on X, Scottish Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville urged those briefing the press against others in the party to “leave yer ego to the side”.
Voters are angry at Labour’s betrayal on the doors so take our positive message on @theSNP delivery to voters and leave yer ego to the side for the benefit of a cause much bigger than any of us.
— Shirley-Anne Somerville (@S_A_Somerville) November 17, 2024
“Wee message to everyone who is briefing against folk today either on social media or to journos who are not friends to our party or our cause – stick your papers in if you want to and then get yer walking boots on and help out at a by-election,” she said.
“Voters are angry at Labour’s betrayal on the doors so take our positive message on @theSNP delivery to voters and leave yer ego to the side for the benefit of a cause much bigger than any of us.”
Mr Flynn has been seen as a potential future leader of the party, but insisted his attempt at a move was not to further his own ambitions.
“I’m ambitious, I’m seriously ambitious for Aberdeen and for Scotland,” he said.
“I don’t believe that there’s going to be a leadership contest in the Scottish National Party for a long, long time.
“Because John Swinney is going to win the Scottish Parliament elections in 2026, he’s going to continue as First Minister and should there be a future leadership election it will be in the dim and distant future.
“John Swinney is the leader of our party and he’s going to be the leader of our party for a long time.”
The conversation between himself and Ms Nicoll, Mr Flynn said was “fairly cordial”, with the MSP telling him she “wasn’t surprised”, he said.
The call would likely have taken place sooner, he said, but for “significant goings on in Aberdeen locally” – an apparent allusion to Ms Nicoll’s husband and former Aberdeen City Council co-leader Alex Nicoll quitting the party and criticising its decisions in the city.
Mr Flynn’s comments come at the end of a bad week for the SNP, which was punctuated by the announcement that the NEC was seeking to cut 10 of the party’s 26 headquarters jobs.
A consultation with staff has opened, along with a voluntary redundancy scheme, in a push to bring down costs for a party which has struggled to attract major donors.
The Westminster leader described the move as a “tough, but necessary, decision”.
