Stephen Flynn admits 'I've got this one wrong' as he ends dual mandate bid

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has confirmed he will no longer seek a seat at Holyrood while continuing as an MP.

Flynn set off a political firestorm inside his own party when he announced he was seeking the candidacy in the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat – which overlaps with part of his Westminster constituency but is currently held by Audrey Nicoll.

Flynn said he hoped to be joined by current and former colleagues at Westminster in aiming to become an MSP at the 2026 election.

He planned to remain the MP for Aberdeen South until the next general election if elected, but would not take two salaries.

The SNP has been critical in recent years of dual mandates – where a single person sits in both Westminster and Holyrood – and regularly attacked former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross when he did so, even changing internal rules ahead of the 2021 election to ensure MPs seeking election would have to quit before they would be allowed to run.

The change was widely seen as an attempt to prevent then-Edinburgh South West MP and frequent internal party critic Joanna Cherry from standing.

However, Flynn has now put an end to any plans for a dual mandate. The MP says his aim to save public funds was “genuine”, but, he admits that he got it “wrong.”

He said: “Hands up, I’ve got this one wrong and won’t be pursuing a dual mandate.

“My aim to save the public purse from unnecessary strain by potentially overlapping the role of an MP and an MSP for a short period until the next General Election was genuine in its intent – but doing it for the right reasons doesn’t change the fact that I got it wrong.

“My motivation and central belief remains that Holyrood, as the heart of Scottish democracy, is the democratic platform that will drive the route to an independent Scotland. All of us in the independence movement share that common cause and want to be part of that story.

“Alongside all SNP members, I now look forward to assessing the new candidate selection rules that my party will put in place.”