ANOTHER member of the SNP frontbench team in Westminster has announced they will not seek re-election next year.
Philippa Whitford, the MP for Central Ayrshire and the party’s Scotland Office spokesperson, has said she will not contest the next General Election.
Whitford becomes the eighth SNP MP to announce they will stand down ahead of the upcoming Westminster election, expected in the later months of 2024.
In a statement to the press, Whitford said: “It has been an honour to serve as the MP for the people of Central Ayrshire for the last eight years and to have been their choice in three elections.
“However, I will not be seeking re-election at the next Westminster election.
“At the time of that election, I will have been an MP for nine years and, including my time as an NHS surgeon, spent 42 years in working in public service.”
The 64-year-old has served in the Commons since 2015 and said she looked forward to spending more time with her husband Hans and away from the “challenging” and “negative atmosphere” in Westminster.
“In particular, I look forward to spending more time with my husband, Hans, who is already retired and I want to thank him for the unconditional support he has given me since my election," Whitford (pictured below) added.
Taking aim at former prime minister Boris Johnson’s “toxic legacy” and his “contempt” for Scotland, the MP echoed complaints made by the party’s deputy Westminster leader Mhairi Black, who hit out at the “poisonous” culture in the London parliament when she announced she would quit as an MP next year.
Whitford said: “Working as an MP at Westminster has changed over the last eight years, especially after Boris Johnson became prime minister and aggression and contempt towards SNP MPs, and indeed Scotland, became the norm.
“While he has gone, his toxic legacy remains and only time will tell if this changes after the next election.
“While working away from home in such a negative atmosphere is challenging, there are many rewarding aspects to the job, particularly the satisfaction of helping individual constituents or working with the many fantastic local groups who do so much to improve our communities.”
She becomes the eighth MP to announce they are stepping down at the next General Election, including big names such as Black, Ian Blackford and Stewart Hosie.
Whitford said she intended to spend more time campaigning for independence, adding: “I am grateful to my SNP colleagues at Westminster for their camaraderie and friendship over the last eight years and, while I will be standing down from Westminster, I will not be stepping back from the party.
“Rather, I hope to get out and campaign more as it is only by reaching out to people who previously voted ‘No’ to independence, that the case will be won.”
Stephen Flynn faces the prospect of more resignations as all parties begin preparing for a poll next year.
He said: "I would like to put on record my thanks to Dr Philippa Whitford for her immense contribution to the SNP over the last 8 years.
"However, having served the general public for more than 40 years - both as an MP and NHS surgeon - nobody deserves a break more.
"I have no doubt that Dr Philippa will continue to be a monumental figure within the Yes movement, as we continue our journey towards independence."
We previously told how former SNP Westminster group leader Blackford (pictured above) was the first MP from the party to announce that he will not be standing at the next election.
Including Whitford's announcement, a total of 73 MPs from across the House of Commons benches have announced they will stand down.
Ahead of the 2019 General Election, 74 MPs stood down in total.
