‘Not a pleasant situation’, says Flynn as he defends Holyrood decision

SNP Westminster person Stephen Flynn has defended his determination to question a spot astatine Holyrood portion continuing arsenic an MP, but claimed it is “not a pleasant situation” for him oregon the MSP helium is seeking to oust.

Mr Flynn acceptable disconnected a governmental firestorm wrong his ain enactment earlier this week erstwhile helium announced helium was seeking the candidacy successful the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine spot – which overlaps with portion of his Westminster constituency but is presently held by Audrey Nicoll.

The Sunday Mail reported sources adjacent to Ms Nicoll said Mr Flynn attempted to person her measurement speech during a telephone speech the nighttime earlier the announcement was made, which the Westminster person described arsenic a “lie”.

Asked connected the BBC’s Sunday Show astir the absorption wrong the party, Mr Flynn said: “There’s ever going to beryllium a beardown absorption to idiosyncratic seeking to bash things differently, I’ve experienced this earlier successful politics.

“It’s not thing which is peculiarly pleasant, it’s not thing which is peculiarly comfortable, peculiarly erstwhile you’re dealing with radical who you cognize truly well, you’re dealing with, successful my case, a workfellow who overlaps astir wholly with the constituency that I presently correspond astatine Westminster.

“This is not a pleasant concern for either of us.

“All I’m seeking to bash is inquire the members who ballot for us, who yet determine who their campaigner is going to be, to marque a decision.”

The SNP has been captious successful caller years of dual mandates – wherever a azygous idiosyncratic sits successful some Westminster and Holyrood – and regularly attacked erstwhile Scottish Tory person Douglas Ross erstwhile helium did so, adjacent changing interior rules up of the 2021 predetermination to guarantee MPs seeking predetermination would person to discontinue earlier they would beryllium allowed to run.

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

I'm not going to beryllium hounded retired from lasting for what I judge in, which is to correspond the radical of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine

Stephen Flynn

The party’s ruling assemblage – the National Executive Committee (NEC) – could determine to scrap the regularisation for contests up of 2026, but if not, the Aberdeen South MP said helium would proceed his enactment arsenic an MP and campaigning for Scottish independency “from the seat oregon from the stands”.

But contempt the interior backlash, Mr Flynn was defiant.

“None of this is peculiarly edifying for anyone,” helium said.

“I don’t privation to beryllium having these discussions connected television, trying to support myself implicit lies and fabrications that are successful newspapers this morning, but that’s the world of politics.

“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, which is to correspond the radical of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine.”

Mr Flynn has been seen arsenic a imaginable aboriginal person of the party, but insisted his effort astatine a determination was not to further his ain ambitions.

“I’m ambitious, I’m earnestly ambitious for Aberdeen and for Scotland,” helium said.

“I don’t judge that there’s going to beryllium a enactment contention successful the Scottish National Party for a long, agelong time.

“Because John Swinney is going to triumph the Scottish Parliament elections successful 2026, he’s going to proceed arsenic First Minister and should determination beryllium a aboriginal enactment predetermination it volition beryllium successful the dim and distant future.

“John Swinney is the person of our enactment and he’s going to beryllium the person of our enactment for a agelong time.”

The speech betwixt himself and Ms Nicoll, Mr Flynn said was “fairly cordial”, with the MSP telling him she “wasn’t surprised”, helium said.

The telephone would apt person taken spot sooner, helium said, but for “significant goings connected successful Aberdeen locally” – an evident allusion to Ms Nicoll’s hubby and erstwhile Aberdeen City Council co-leader Alex Nicoll quitting the enactment and criticising its decisions successful the city.

Mr Flynn’s comments travel astatine the extremity of a atrocious week for the SNP, which was punctuated by the announcement that the NEC was seeking to chopped 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.

The Westminster person described the determination arsenic a “tough, but necessary, decision”.