SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has confirmed his bid to run to be an MSP at the 2026 Holyrood election.
There had been plenty of speculation as to whether the Aberdeen South MP would put himself forward for a seat in the Scottish Parliament and he has now confirmed the bid in an interview with the Press & Journal.
He told the newspaper he would be campaigning to stand for the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat.
Flynn also confirmed that, should he win a seat in Holyrood, he would not take a second parliamentary income.
He told the Press & Journal: "It's never an easy decision to put yourself forward for election. You have to discuss things with friends and family.
"I took some time to properly think things over because there was a high degree of interest in what I was going to do or not do next.
"I came to the conclusion I don't want to sit it out. I don't want to sit out those battles that are coming for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and the wider nation."
In 2020, the SNP's National Executive Committee (NEC) rewrote the rules to make it harder for sitting MPs to switch to Holyrood, forcing them to resign their seats should they wish to become candidates.
The decision forced former MP Joanna Cherry (above) to rule herself out from standing in the 2021 Holyrood election.
Writing on Twitter/X, Cherry said: "I wish Stephen well. The SNP badly needs new blood at Holyrood.
"The rule against dual mandates introduced by the NEC in 2021 was not 'election specific' it was person specific.
"It served its purpose & I predict it will be removed."
Flynn had said he felt the rules put in place by the NEC were "election specific" and added that it did not fill him "with any great delight" to go up against sitting SNP MSP Audrey Nicoll for selection to the constituency.
"Different people are chosen to represent the team at different moments in time and it will be for SNP members to determine who is ultimately their candidate in Aberdeen South and Kincardine," he said.
Flynn also appeared to rule out any suggestion he was looking to move to Holyrood to further an ambition to be leader of the party.
The MP said: "I don't think the SNP are going to have a leadership contest for very many years.
"I'm fully confident in the manner in which John Swinney is rebuilding the party and refocusing government.
"I appreciate the desire that many people have to speculate in and around what my ambitions are or aren't.
"Of course I want to do everything I possibly can to help my party and help my country and that will never change."
Elsewhere, the Press & Journal also confirmed that former Gordon MP Richard Thomson has applied to be a candidate for 2026.
Although he does not have a specific seat in mind, he lives in the north east and was previously the leader of Aberdeenshire council.
We also told on Monday how former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf had submitted their applications to stand as candidates but both were keeping their options open on their future.
