SNP Minister becomes latest senior Nationalist to announce intention to quit Holyrood

-Credit:Daily Record
-Credit:Daily Record


A former Minister is the latest SNP MSP to announce he is quitting Holyrood next year. Dundee City West MSP Joe FitzPatrick said it is “the right time” for him to step aside after representing the city since 2007.

Fellow Dundee MSP Shona Robison, who is John Swinney’s finance secretary, has refused to say if she will also stand down.

A number of Nationalist MSPs, including former First Minister Humza Yousaf and business minister Richard Lochhead, will leave Holyrood next year.

Fitzpatrick has served in various government roles, including minister for public health and minister for local government empowerment. He famously lost his job in Nicola Sturgeon’s government after failing to turn around the drugs death scandal.

ADVERTISEMENT

READ MORE: Former SNP Health Secretary 'sympathetic' to coalition between SNP and Labour

READ MORE: Bus fares to be capped at £2 after Budget deal struck between SNP and Greens

FitzPatrick, who was a councillor for eight years before joining Holyrood, said it had been a “tremendous honour” to be the MSP for Dundee City West.

He said in a statement: “I never for a moment expected that I would have the privilege of representing Dundee over the course of four successive parliaments. It has been a tremendous honour to speak up on behalf of the people of our great city and serve as their local MSP, and to have earned their trust with an increased share of the vote at every election.

“The transformation of Dundee over the past 27 years has been nothing short of remarkable. There is now a real confidence amongst Dundonians about the city’s progress and its future that just wasn’t really there before.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Other SNP MSPs who will stand down at the next election include Elena Whitham and Ruth Maguire. Sturgeon is expected to quit, but has not confirmed her plans.

To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here