Nicola Sturgeon: Stephen Flynn losing seat could pave way for him to lead SNP

NICOLA Sturgeon has said Stephen Flynn losing his seat could result in him becoming leader of the SNP.

The former first minister responded to speculation from the Aberdeen count, where his contest reportedly looks closer than had been anticipated.

The SNP’s Westminster leader is said to face a strong challenge from Labour’s Tauqeer Malik, who we revealed as admitting to a voter that he helped the Tory campaign in the seat in 2019.

But Sturgeon said that Flynn (above) losing his seat would “ease his passage into the Scottish Parliament” – setting him up for a tilt at the SNP leadership.

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Flynn ruled himself out as a contender to replace Humza Yousaf before John Swinney was installed, saying he believed the SNP must be led from Holyrood.

Asked on ITV on Friday morning about whether Flynn could lose his seat, Sturgeon said: “I don’t know yet but I’m hearing that it’s not looking entirely secure so there is a possibility there, so I’m just trying to find out more from the ground.”

She added: “He’s hugely impressive and look, if Stephen Flynn loses his seat tonight it’ll be a massive blow to the SNP, I’m not going to try and sugarcoat it.

“But it won’t be the end of Stephen Flynn and in some ways it will ease his passage into the Scottish Parliament. Many people in my party think that Stephen is a future leader of the SNP and I think that’s a view with some credence.”