A public consultation has opened over planned legislation to ban so-called ‘double-jobbing’ for MSPs at Holyrood.
Double-jobbing is when an MSP holds a dual mandate, that is a secondary elected position outside of the Scottish Parliament.
MSPs voted unanimously on December 17, 2024, to back a motion that would prevent members from being MPs or Peers at the same time, with consideration of including council positions as well.
Legislation already exists in the Northern Ireland Assembly and Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) preventing dual mandates with the Commons.
The amendments were introduced by Conservative Graham Simpson which made the change to the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill.
There are currently no MSPs also sitting as an MP or councillor, and only one MSP, Baroness Clark, sitting in the House of Lords.
The Scottish Government confirmed that the Bill is planned to be in place by the 2026 Holyrood election.
Under the proposals, an MP who is elected to Holyrood would be required to leave Westminster within eight days.
The vote came in the wake of a row involving SNP MP Stephen Flynn, who announced in November that he wanted to run for the Holyrood seat of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat in 2026.
However, his decision prompted a backlash after he said he would not step down as MP for Aberdeen South.
Flynn retracted that pledge after controversy across the political spectrum, including within his own party.
Minister for parliamentary business Jamie Hepburn said: “Following the unanimous passage of the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill in December, MSPs will be barred from also being an MP or Peer through regulations to be brought forward in autumn 2025.
“This consultation on the issue will allow political parties, local government and most importantly the public to comment on the details of how that will work in practice, ahead of the practice being ended before the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.”
Graham Simpson MSP said: “I’m pleased to see this consultation being launched following Holyrood’s unanimous backing last month to ban double jobbing.
“The public are in favour of this happening, and I’d encourage them to now make their views known to ensure it is in force before next year’s Scottish Parliament elections.
“The cross-party support during the elections bill was welcome and I hope that these plans will now continue to progress.”
The consultation can be accessed on the Scottish Government website and runs until March 23, 2025.
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