“IT was a very unexpected series of events last week, that’s for sure,” SNP MSP Audrey Nicoll tells me with laughter, acknowledging her own words to be an understatement.
Nicoll’s Holyrood seat in Scotland has been at the centre of the media cycle for more than a week now, after Stephen Flynn announced he wanted to run for her position in 2026 – while remaining as an MP in Westminster.
“I, like many members and colleagues, first knew Stephen was going public with the news when it was in the local newspaper,” Nicoll said.
During a “candid” phone call with Flynn on Sunday evening in which he notified her of his intention to stand in her seat, he did not mention that he would be on the front page of the Press and Journal on Tuesday telling Scotland.
Nicoll said other options to communicate intentions to party membership are available and in this case, she would've considered the "most appropriate and respectful way to communicate to members".
When asked whether reports that Flynn had said she should stand down – which he has since denied – were true, she said: “I remember the conversation quite clearly, as he does, I’m sure”.
Nicoll, who represents Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, wouldn’t reveal whether there had been an underlying tone from Flynn for her to stand aside, but she said she – and her team – were ready for a contest if one was to come.
“I want members to know that if they did select me, I’m fully focused on working as hard as ever, really being accessible and making sure that I’m in the strongest position in possible to be able to represent them in Holyrood,” Nicoll said.
“We may go back to a different Holyrood in 2026, and as a candidate, you need to be ready for that. A key part of that for me, is that I’m already there and I have a lot more to offer next session.”
Nicoll added that colleagues in Parliament, branch members, constituents, and strangers had got in touch to offer “tremendous” support, especially as media attention increased with SNP sources briefing journalists.
Yellow-on-yellow
This week, Cabinet Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville issued a stern warning about negative briefing to the press, urging figures within the party to “leave yer ego to the side”.
Nicoll echoed these comments, adding: “It’s not helpful to pick at what has been said, and my concern is really in terms of the party.
“It’s potentially harmful and is a distraction to keep the yellow-on-yellow aspect to the week’s events running. John Swinney as party leader and as first minister has worked so hard to rebuild support and trust, so I really want to be a strong support for the party going into 2026.”
Nicoll recognised the criticisms received by the party for the loss of focus on independence and said the run up to the election and selection process should be “a key time to garner momentum and put independence at the front again.”
Flynn’s announcement was followed by similar ones from MPs Dave Doogan and Stephen Gethins. The SNP’s remaining six MPs will not be looking to run, it is understood.
The Westminster leader has argued he would not step down in order to save the taxpayer money on a by-election and declined to rule out a bid for the SNP leadership.
Their decisions have led to rife debate, especially given that in 2021 the SNP National Executive Committee (NEC) put a rule in place which required MPs wanting to run for Holyrood to first resign their place at Westminster.
Nicoll said she believed the party's NEC is set to make a decision on that rule next month. When asked what her stance on double-jobbing was, she said she “wasn’t persuaded” anyone could make two representative positions work.
“The role of an MSP is, certainly from my perspective, full-on. There is a huge amount of work involved in the consistency and in Parliament,” Nicoll said.
“For me, I’m not persuaded that it is possible to give two roles the attention and the focus they deserve and need, and in turn that directly impacts the way you represent your constituency.”
Nicoll became an MSP after serving as a police officer for 31 years.
The MSP made clear of her intention to stand again to continue her work in her constituency but also build on the progress made in 2021 to create an accessible Scottish Parliament for women to serve.
“A life in politics is tough, it’s quite relentless at times, but women have an awful lot to offer in politics and so I want to continue to be part of that movement of clear representation for women.”
Nicoll and Flynn have known each other for more than a decade, serving in Aberdeen City Council together before representing overlapping constituencies.
Although Nicoll said they had more of a “political working relationship” than friendship, when asked whether Flynn’s decision to stand in the seat of a colleague was a step too far in his leadership aspirations, she said: “We’re very different people, with very different personalities, but I would’ve conducted myself very differently.”
