Skip to content

Stephen Flynn: Who is the new SNP Westminster leader?

House of Commons stephen flynnHouse of Commons

Aberdeen South MP Stephen Flynn is set to face his first Prime Minister's Questions less than 24 hours after being elected the SNP's new Westminster leader.

Here is what we know about the 34-year-old and what colleagues expect of him.

Presentational grey line

Mr Flynn was born in Dundee and raised in the city and in nearby Brechin.

He studied politics at Dundee University before moving to Aberdeen - although he still travels back down the A90 to support Dundee United.

His hip gave way when he was a teenager, and he spent 17 years in "constant pain" and facing a "daily physical and mental battle" until eventually having replacement surgery in September 2020.

After marrying his wife in 2014, he was elected to Aberdeen City Council in a by-election the following year, and served as the SNP's group leader from 2016 until he became an MP in 2019.

He took Aberdeen South from the Conservatives - a seat which has bounced between Labour, the SNP and Tories at the last four elections.

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Following his election as Westminster leader, Nicola Sturgeon congratulated both Flynn and Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP Mhairi Black, who was elected deputy leader, calling them a "truly formidable team".

SNP MP Stewart Hosie echoed that sentiment, telling the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "One thing you will see from Stephen is a different tone - perhaps more pointed, snappier, more vibrant.

"I think he will bring a great deal to the table and a great deal to the independence cause as he holds the government to account.

"Stephen has rare gift of being able to communicate difficult things in a really effective way and I'm looking forward to seeing him deploy that particularly in PMQs today."

Stephen Flynn says he will push the impact of the cost of living and Scotland's right to choose its future

Mr Flynn's maiden speech in the Commons underlines why colleagues hope he will be a punchy presence as leader.

He warned Conservative members that "we will not forget, and we will not forgive this government".

He added: "Scotland rejects your austerity and Scotland rejects your Brexit, just as Scotland rejected your prime minister."

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Mr Flynn became a prominent member of the so-called Tuesday Club of male SNP MPs who regularly meet for five-a-side football, beer and curry nights.

The oil and gas industry is at the heart of his patch, and he initially argued against the idea of a windfall tax on the profits of big energy firms - something later embraced enthusiastically by the SNP.

In February, he told MPs: "The last time the UK government implemented a windfall tax, investment in the North Sea oil and gas sector plummeted.

"It fell off a cliff - in fact it has never got back to where it was. If that happens again, my constituents will lose their jobs."

Mr Flynn has been linked to the leadership role for some time, with newspaper reports claiming he was set to oust Ian Blackford surfacing weeks before the Skye MP decided not to stand again.

However, SNP leader and first minister Nicola Sturgeon has insisted that the change is "not a coup".