HOThe SNP MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Audrey Nicoll, has announced she will not stand in next year’s Holyrood election.
The party leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn, repesents the area of Aberdeen South and announced his intention to challenge Ms Nicoll for the Holyrood seat in November.
His plan to hold a seat in both parliaments led to a political row, and he ultimately conceded that he had made a mistake and said he would not seek to be both an MSP and an MP.
However, he did not explicitly say whether he still intended to stand for Holyrood, or if he would quit Westminster should he win a Holyrood seat.
On Sunday, Nicoll said she had advised local branch members of her intention to stand down at the next Holyrood elections.
She added: “I look forward to a robust contest to select a strong candidate who will bring life experience, compassion, and respect to the role and give the interests of the constituency their full focus.”
The MSP added that she would continue to work for her constituents until the election.
A spokesman for Nicoll said her decision to stand down was unrelated to Stephen Flynn’s interest in her seat.
PA MediaFlynn has been tipped as a future SNP leader, but he predicted there would not be a contest to replace John Swinney for “long, long time”, adding that he had full confidence in the first minister.
He told BBC Scotland News: “I just want to be part of his team.”
Speaking about Nicoll’s decision to stand down, the first minister said: “I am very sorry to hear that Audrey Nicoll has decided to step down at the next election. She has made a superb contribution at the Scottish Parliament.”
