THE SNP could change their rules to allow Stephen Flynn to run for Holyrood in 2026, the First Minister has suggested.
Flynn, the SNP’s Westminster group leader, has not ruled out a move to the Scottish Parliament – although party rules currently prevent sitting MPs from standing to be an MSP.
The rule change was brought in by the SNP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in July 2020, and sparked a backlash from sitting MPs.
The following month, more than a quarter of the SNP’s Westminster group signed a letter urging the NEC to overturn the policy, which was perceived to have been brought in as a way of preventing Joanna Cherry from standing to become an MSP in Edinburgh Central.
Cherry was not among the signatories to the letter, and the policy remains in place.
However, First Minister John Swinney has said he would be open to reconsidering the rule if that’s what party members want.
The Daily Mail quoted Swinney as saying: "If the party wants to look at its rules, the party is free to look at its rules.
“I’m very keen to engage with my party membership on these questions."
Asked specifically about the possibility of Flynn standing for Holyrood, Swinney said: "I welcome Stephen Flynn’s participation in the work of the SNP. I think he’s an outstanding figure, a huge asset for us.
“He’ll make his own decisions about what he decides to do. But what I would say is that I think Stephen Flynn is one of the strongest assets the SNP has got."
Flynn has not ruled out standing for Holyrood in 2026, which under current rules would require him to resign his Westminster seat first – as now-Health Secretary Neil Gray did in 2021.
Earlier this week, the SNP Westminster leader said he would think about where to stand when the 2026 election gets “a little bit closer”.
A seat in the Scottish Parliament is widely seen as a necessity for anyone who wants to lead the SNP.
Other SNP figures who opted not to run or failed to win a seat in the 2024 General Election may also be considering bids for Holyrood.
The Times reported that as many as 20 former SNP MPs who lost their seats could stand for Holyrood in 2026, with names including Flynn’s and Cherry’s being spoken of.
Ian Blackford, the former SNP Westminster group leader who stood down at the election, has said he is considering a run for Holyrood, and Mhairi Black, the former depute Westminster group leader who also stood down, has had Nicola Sturgeon urge her to stand.
