AN SNP stalwart who has represented the party at Holyrood since the Scottish Parliament was reconvened has announced she will be standing down at the next election.
Christine Grahame, who has represented Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale since 2011, spoke to ITV Borders about her decision on Tuesday.
Grahame is understood to have emailed SNP members about her decision to step down over the weekend.
Asked why she was leaving parliament, Grahame said: “Well, I've just turned 80. I know it's the new 60 – but I think by the time we get to the end of the session, I'll be nearly 82 – and unlike Joe Biden, I know, quit while you're ahead.”
Asked if she would instead be the “Kamala Harris of Scottish politics”, Grahame told ITV Border she was more like the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
“She's an individual and she's a strong woman, and she's very good politically. I admire that,” Grahame said.
'Unlike Joe Biden, I know to quit when you are ahead' Christine Grahame tells @ITVBorderRB 's @petermacmahon in her first interview after announcing she won't stand for re-election for the Scottish Parliament in 2026. pic.twitter.com/XydE1eD2B2
— Representing Border (@ITVBorderRB) September 10, 2024
“I've always had to be my own woman. Since I was three my mother told me I was thrawn, and I've remained thrawn, I hope, thrawn for the right reasons.”
Grahame added: “It sounds a bit pious, but that's exactly what I feel I do here. I have broken the whip. I've got into trouble, but not for the sake of it.”
Grahame served as deputy presiding officer of the Scottish parliament from 2016-2021.
She represented the south of Scotland region from 1999-2011.
She has become widely known among parliamentarians for her often colourful contributions to debate, such as in April when she tore into now-Scottish Tory leadership favourite Russell Findlay in memorable fashion.
'Self-indulgent, flamboyant and frequently reckless' SNP MSP Christine Grahame had some choice words for Tory MSP Russell Findlay during a debate on the Hate Crime Act 👀 pic.twitter.com/p5hsFE9Rbu
— The National (@ScotNational) April 17, 2024
In 2022, Grahame won the Holyrood Dog of the Year competition with her dog Mabel. Earlier in 2024, she made headlines after speaking out against the XL Bully ban in Scotland.
