Flynn aims to stand for SNP at Holyrood election

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn intends to stand at the 2026 Holyrood elections, he has announced.

The Aberdeen South MP said if elected to the Scottish Parliament he would aim to hold his Westminster seat until the next general election, due in 2029, but would not accept two salaries.

The announcement has prompted concerns among party colleagues, with one MSP urging him to rethink his decision.

Applications to stand as an SNP candidate in 2026 closed on Monday, though the formal selection process will not start until next year.

BBC Scotland News understands that former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf have submitted applications, but are both yet to decide on whether to stand for re-election.

Flynn, writing in the Press and Journal, said he hoped to win his party's nomination for the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat, currently held by Audrey Nicoll.

The SNP Westminster leader told BBC Scotland News: "As we make this journey to independence, I believe that we need our strongest voices within Holyrood all pulling in the same direction. I believe that I can contribute as part of that process.”

Flynn said he took "no pleasure" from potentially competing with Nicoll for selection.

"We are a democratic party, this does happen on occasion," he said. “It will now be for members to decide the outcome.”

The MP insisted the dual role would offer him a “platform to speak up for Scotland's interest”, both at Holyrood and Westminster.

“And I think that's a good thing,” he added.

Flynn has been tipped as a future SNP leader, but he predicted there would not be a contest to replace John Swinney for “long, long time”, adding that he had full confidence in the first minister.

He told BBC Scotland News: "I just want to be part of his team.”

Nicoll, who was first elected to parliament at the 2021 election, said the process was still at an early stage and Flynn was within his rights to stand for selection.

She confirmed that she had submitted her forms for selection as well.

"We had a conversation so I did know he was intending on putting his name forward," she said.

"I love this role and it’s very important to me. It’s filled with responsibility and I look forward to continuing it if I can."

Ahead of the 2021 election, the SNP changed internal rules to require MPs to resign their seat at Westminster to fight for selection to Holyrood.

The party previously criticised former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross for holding seats at Westminster and Holyrood, as well as being a professional football referee.

In 2021, SNP MSP Karen Adam claimed Ross was “failing” his constituents “by thinking he can do both jobs properly”.

Speaking at the SNP conference in August, Flynn joked about Ross having "one too many work commitments".

Announcing his intention to stand in the Holyrood election, Flynn told the Press and Journal he believed the party's selection rules were "election-specific".

He pointed to examples of SNP politicians who have held seats in both parliaments before, citing First Minister John Swinney and ex-First Minister Alex Salmond.

SNP MSP Emma Roddick said she hoped Flynn "rethinks" his ambition to hold two seats seats.

She posted on X: “Party members set this rule for good reasons. Rightly, Douglas Ross was criticised for holding two roles simultaneously."

The Highlands and Islands representative said she could not imagine "being a good MSP" while spending "half" her time in London.

She added: "(It is) Key that rules apply to everyone equally; men and women."

One former SNP MP told BBC Scotland News: "I'm not sure being seen to do Audrey Nicoll out of her job so that he can have two jobs is a smart pitch."

Another senior party figure described Flynn's move as "naked ambition".

Dozens of MSPs have had a dual mandate, either as a member of the House of Lords, the House of Commons or as a councillor - including 20 this term.

Roddick, who was elected to Holyrood in 2021, held a dual mandate for a year while also serving as an Inverness councillor.

The SNP is yet to decide what its rules will be for candidates at the next election.

The change on dual mandates led to then-MP Joanna Cherry pulling out of the selection contest for the Edinburgh Central seat.

Health Secretary Neil Gray also had to resign as an MP before being elected to Holyrood in 2021.

Cherry - who lost her Westminster seat in July’s general election and has ruled out a bid for election to Holyrood in 2026 - said the SNP rule was “person specific”.

Responding to Flynn’s announcement, she added in a post on X that the rule “served its purpose” and predicted it would not be in place for 2026.

The Scottish government recently said it intended to launch a consultation on proposals to ban MSPs from holding dual mandates, though any changes are not expected to be introduced in time for the 2026 election.

Conservative MSP Liam Kerr highlighted the SNP's previous opposition to dual mandates, adding: “And now, when it suits Stephen Flynn, and it seems to suit the SNP, they decide that it’s all perfectly acceptable in their world.”

He told BBC Scotland News: “It’s absolute hypocrisy and it’s appalling.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also accused the SNP of hypocrisy.

He noted the party’s previous opposition to “double jobbing”, adding: “But it seems it’s OK when an SNP politician wants to do it.”

Few who follow Scottish politics will be surprised by Stephen Flynn’s decision.

He’s widely regarded as one of the SNP’s most talented politicians. And Holyrood offers opportunities for him that Westminster never will (such as being a government minister or - one day perhaps - first minister).

But this is a controversial move in a number of ways.

Even though other SNP politicians have sat previously at Westminster and Holyrood simultaneously, party rhetoric on "double jobbing" has hardened in recent years.

The party previously claimed former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross was trying to "have his cake and eat it" by sitting in both parliaments.

Flynn will now face the same accusation.

Secondly, there’s already a sitting SNP MSP in the seat where Stephen Flynn aims to be a candidate. And she has not indicated that she plans to stand down. So it looks like an internal challenge is on.

To sum it up, this is an expected move with some unexpected elements.

Former SNP MP Richard Thomson, who lost his seat in Gordon in July, has also confirmed he is seeking election to Holyrood in 2026.

He has not specified a constituency, though he posted on X that there was “important work to be done for the north east and Scotland as a whole”.

While being selected to stand in a constituency is one potential route to the Scottish Parliament, candidates can also win a seat via regional lists under the Holyrood voting system.