STEPHEN Flynn should rethink his intention to stand for Holyrood while holding on to his seat at Westminster as it opens up the SNP to accusations of “cronyism,” former Scottish government ministers have said.
On Tuesday, the SNP Westminster leader used a column in the Press and Journal to announce a bid to replace Audrey Nicoll as the MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine.
Should he win election to Holyrood, Flynn said he would not resign his Westminster seat – but also that he would not take two parliamentary incomes.
It comes despite a rule brought in by the SNP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) ahead of the 2021 Holyrood elections which said that any MP wishing to become an MSP would have to resign their Westminster seat first. That rule saw Neil Gray resign as an MP, and Joanna Cherry decide not to run for Holyrood.
However, it is understood that the rule was “election specific” and would have to be reinstated to take effect in 2026.
Responding to Flynn’s announcement, former SNP ministers called for a rethink.
“Can't imagine spending half my time in London and being a good MSP. Key that rules apply to everyone equally; men and women.”
Alex Neil, the former health secretary, said he had “no objection to Stephen wanting to go to Holyrood,” but added that “the rules on how he does it shouldn’t be changed to suit individuals, no matter how talented they are”.
“Basic democratic principles should be equally applied to every party member,” Neil said.
He further added, in a post shared by Cherry, that changing the rules would open “the party up to charges of unfairness and cronyism”.
Changing these rules every five minutes to suit a specific faction within the party is totally unacceptable and opens the party up to charges of unfairness and cronyism. Little wonder so many people have lost trust in the SNP https://t.co/r7VEqZ9eMs
— Alex Neil (@AlexNeilSNP) November 12, 2024
NEC member Bill Ramsay told The National he was happy to hear Flynn’s intention to stand for Holyrood.
“Speaking personally, the news that Stephen Flynn is throwing his hat in the ring for Holyrood in 2026 is really positive,” he said.
On the dual mandate rule, he added: "The issue of standing down in conditions of near electoral hegemony as in 2021 are rather different from what will probably be a closer electoral contest in 2026."
Anonymous SNP politicians used stronger language, with one MSP telling the Scottish Sun: “He is a f****r. It just reeks of arrogance.”
SNP councillor Jérémie Fernandes said that Flynn should be allowed to run for Holyrood – but that he should stand down as an MP first.
Fernandes, who represents Elgin City North on Moray Council, said that it was “100% the right decision” for the NEC to have blocked dual mandates in 2021 – and that he hoped Flynn’s announcement would not “put pressure on them to change their minds”.
He told The National: “I think Stephen is an exceptional politician and his place, the best place he can be used, is obviously at Holyrood. I think everyone within the party was expecting him to make a move.
“What wasn't expected is that he would make that move and then decide to try to stay in the UK parliament in Westminster.
“It’s a bit disappointing that he would make that move. We know in Moray that it simply doesn't work. We've had the case of Douglas Ross being an MP and an MSP for a few years and during that time he was largely missing in action. He missed important votes. He missed meetings with the community.
“So I think it's quite disappointing that Stephen is thinking that he can do it.”
Cherry said that the rule brought in by the NEC for the 2021 elections was “not ‘election specific’ it was person specific” – a reference to the fact it was widely seen as intended to prevent her standing for Edinburgh Central.
The former MP further predicted “it will be removed” ahead of the 2026 elections.
