Shamed MSP Michael Matheson has introduced he doesn’t intend to face at subsequent 12 months’s Holyrood election.
The previous Scottish well being secretary is one in every of greater than 20 SNP MSPs who’ve confirmed plans to step down forward of the 2026 vote.
Mr Matheson was first elected to the Scottish parliament in 1999 and has held quite a lot of authorities roles, together with justice secretary and transport secretary.
He was compelled to stop the well being transient final 12 months amid a row over a close to £11,000 iPad knowledge roaming invoice.
The Falkirk West MSP had initially billed taxpayers earlier than U-turning following a public outcry.
Mr Matheson claimed the iPad had solely been used for parliamentary work throughout a household vacation to Morocco and blamed an outdated SIM card for the extreme invoice.
Though there had been a SIM card error, it later emerged his teenage sons had been utilizing the system as a hotspot to stream soccer whereas on the journey.
Mr Matheson was later handed the longest ever ban from the Scottish parliament and docked wages for breaching the MSP code of conduct.
In an interview following the furore, Mr Matheson mentioned the incident was “completely blown out of all proportion”.
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Minister’s sons racked up £11k iPad invoice
In a press release posted on Fb on Sunday, he confirmed he was trying ahead to “seeking new challenges out with frontline politics”.
Mr Matheson wrote: “As one of the original Members of the Scottish Parliament elected in 1999, by the time of the election in 2026 I will have served as an MSP for 27 years.
“After I joined the SNP at 17 years of age the re-establishment of a Scottish parliament was nonetheless a distant prospect.
“I could never have imagined that I would have had the privilege to represent Falkirk in our national parliament for over two decades.”
The politician thanked his constituents and paid tribute to his workers and colleagues for his or her help over time.
He added: “I will of course continue to serve my constituents to the best of my ability for the remainder of my term, and I look forward to seeking new challenges out with frontline politics.”
First Minister John Swinney mentioned he was “sorry” to see Mr Matheson step down.
He added: “Michael is a valued colleague who has made a significant contribution to the work of parliament and government since 1999. I wish him well for the future.”
In current months, a number of SNP MSPs have introduced plans to face down subsequent 12 months.
The lengthy checklist contains former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon, Finance Secretary Shona Robison and Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop.
The SNP misplaced dozens of MPs in final 12 months’s normal election, falling to simply 9. A few of these former politicians might plot a return to the benches, however this time north of the border.
SNP Westminster chief Stephen Flynn has been accepted by his get together as a possible candidate for the Holyrood election.
Picture:
SNP Westminster chief Stephen Flynn. Pic: PA
Mr Flynn had beforehand introduced plans for a twin mandate to face for the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat, at the moment held by SNP MSP Audrey Nicoll, however U-turned following a backlash.
Ms Nicoll has since introduced she doesn’t intend to face subsequent 12 months.
Mr Flynn, the MP for Aberdeen South, has usually been touted as a possible future get together chief.
Though Mr Flynn beforehand disregarded hypothesis about taking on from Mr Swinney, a transfer to Holyrood would put him heading in the right direction in direction of Scotland’s high job.
