Flynn: Reaction to 2026 Holyrood bid 'not pleasant'

The SNP's Westminster person Stephen Flynn said enactment infighting implicit his bid to basal astatine the 2026 Scottish Parliament predetermination has been unedifying.

Flynn presently represents the constituency of Aberdeen South successful the House of Commons.

But past week the MP announced helium intends to basal for the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine spot astatine Holyrood, presently held by the SNP's Audrey Nicoll.

Flynn confirmed helium would purpose to clasp his Westminster spot until the adjacent wide election, owed successful 2029, but would not judge 2 salaries.

His announcement, successful The Press and Journal newspaper, has caused choler wrong the SNP.

Flynn told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show: "None of this is peculiarly edifying for anyone.

"I don't privation to beryllium doing this, I don't privation to beryllium having these discussions connected television, trying to support myself.

"But that's the world of authorities sometimes - it's not pleasant.

"I'm not going to shy away, I'm not going to beryllium hounded retired from lasting for what I judge in."

Flynn said that successful authorities determination was ever going to beryllium a beardown absorption to radical seeking to bash things differently.

Asked whether Nicoll was aggravated astatine him erstwhile helium told her helium wanted to situation her for her seat, helium said: "No."

"She told maine she wasn’t overly surprised," helium added.

He said it was "not a pleasant situation" for him oregon Nicoll.

Flynn revealed helium called her the nighttime earlier helium announced his program to basal but explicitly denied asking Nicoll to basal speech for him.

He said the brace had a "fairly cordial conversation" wherever helium made wide his intentions.

Flynn added that helium hoped the run could beryllium carried retired successful bully religion and successful bully spirit.

But a root adjacent to Nicoll told BBC Scotland News that she felt determination was an "underlying inference" successful the telephone telephone that helium wanted her to measurement aside.

The telephone betwixt the brace would apt person taken spot sooner, Flynn said, had it not been for "significant goings connected successful Aberdeen locally".

This was an evident notation to Nicoll's husband, and erstwhile Aberdeen City Council co-leader, Alex Nicoll quitting the enactment and criticising its decisions successful the city.

Ahead of the 2021 election, the SNP changed interior rules to necessitate MPs to resign their spot astatine Westminster to combat for enactment to Holyrood.

The determination was wide seen arsenic an effort to forestall then-Edinburgh South West MP and predominant interior enactment professional Joanna Cherry from standing.

The party's ruling assemblage - the National Executive Committee (NEC) - could determine to scrap the regularisation for contests up of 2026.

Flynn has said helium understood that regularisation to beryllium "election specific".

He said: "The rules don’t preclude maine from lasting - that would beryllium a determination for the NEC."

First Minister John Swinney said past week that the SNP had yet to marque a determination connected whether its politicians could clasp a dual mandate - wherever a azygous idiosyncratic sits successful some Westminster and Holyrood.

Swinney, who held seats astatine some Westminster and Holyrood betwixt 1999 and 2001, told BBC Scotland News: "We’ve had times successful the past erstwhile we’ve had dual mandates - I had a dual mandate myself for 2 years successful the aboriginal days of devolution.

“The enactment has got to travel to its conclusions astir these peculiar issues and it volition bash successful the fullness of time.”

Flynn besides revealed that Swinney had been alert of his plans successful beforehand of the announcement.

He added: "The radical who needed to cognize what my intentions were, were alert of what my intentions were."

Flynn has been tipped arsenic a aboriginal SNP leader, but helium said determination would not beryllium a contention to regenerate Swinney for a "long, agelong time".

He said immoderate enactment predetermination would beryllium successful the "dim and distant future".

Flynn added that helium wanted to support his Westminster seat, which overlaps with portion of the Holyrood spot helium hopes to contest, to debar causing a costly by-election.

He besides reiterated that helium would not judge a 2nd parliamentary salary.

The enactment antecedently criticised erstwhile Scottish Conservative person Douglas Ross for holding seats astatine Westminster and Holyrood, arsenic good arsenic being a nonrecreational shot referee.

Speaking astatine the SNP league successful August, Flynn joked astir Ross having "one excessively galore enactment commitments".

And successful 2021, SNP MSP Karen Adam claimed Ross was "failing" his constituents "by reasoning helium tin bash some jobs properly".

Flynn's comments came aft the SNP announced connected Saturday that the NEC was seeking to cut 10 of the party's 26 office jobs.

A consultation with unit has opened, on with a voluntary redundancy scheme, successful a propulsion to bring down costs for a enactment which has struggled to pull large donors.

Flynn described the determination arsenic a "tough, but necessary, decision".

The Westminster person was besides asked astir the enactment implicit Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray utilizing a ministerial car to be shot games.

But helium insisted it was "not a scandal".

Gray, whose portfolio includes sport, has been nether occurrence aft it emerged helium had been chauffeured to six shot matches astatine Hampden since becoming a minister, 4 of which included the squad helium supports.

The Aberdeen instrumentality apologised past week successful a ministerial connection and conceded helium should person went to a "wider range" of shot matches.

Flynn defended Gray and told The Sunday Show: "Our sports curate going to sporting events is not a scandal.

"He's doing his occupation and he's doing his occupation to the champion of his ability."

He added: "What tends to hap successful authorities is you thin to make relationships, person discussions with radical and that could lone hap by being successful those places astatine definite times.

"Neil is simply a immense sports fan, I deliberation it's close that he, arsenic sports minister, goes to sporting matches, I'm struggling to spot what the ungraded is."

But speaking connected the aforesaid programme, Scottish Labour lawman person Jackie Baillie said the contented was a scandal.

She added: "You request to deliberation astir what your priorities are.

"When societal attraction is successful crisis, wherefore are you going to shot games?"

And Scottish Tory concern spokesperson Craig Hoy said his enactment had made "the precise tenable ask" of the Scottish authorities for minutes of the meetings held astatine the matches to beryllium published.