Kate Forbes backs Stephen Flynn as he bids to join Scottish Parliament

Scotland’s Deputy First Minister said the SNP Westminster leader is “exactly the kind of person” needed at Holyrood.

Flynn announced on Monday that he intends to stand in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

The Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat is already held by SNP MSP Audrey Nicoll, who Flynn will have to compete against.

His ambition to become an MSP has faced criticism from within the party after he said he would continue to keep his current job as the MP for Aberdeen South until the next General Election.

Audrey Nicoll represents the seat in the Parliament (Image: Getty) Speaking to the PA news agency during a visit to the Clyde Gateway East Business Park in Glasgow, Forbes said it is for the SNP to decide whether Flynn can run.

She said: “Can I say at the outset, Stephen Flynn would make a brilliant asset to Holyrood and to the Scottish Parliament.

“He’s exactly the kind of person that we need representing local communities in the Scottish Parliament.

“Now, I won’t get involved in local contests because Audrey Nicoll I know to have been a brilliant convener of the Justice Committee and a brilliant local advocate as well.

“But the point is that we have democratic processes here, internally within the party, which I’m not involved in, and also externally and, ultimately, for the electorate to decide, as they decided most recently in Douglas Ross’s [below] case.”

Flynn – who said he would not accept two salaries if elected – had previously criticised former Scottish Tory leader Ross for taking up positions at Holyrood and Westminster at the same time.

Forbes is also among the many politicians who have attacked Ross for having had multiple jobs, including as a football referee.

The Deputy First Minister wrote on social media last year: “Douglas ‘three jobs’ Ross hardly spends any time in Scot Parl or speaking to his own party colleagues.

“Which is only one of the many, many reasons why I’ve never said more than a passing hello to him since he was elected. Conference hyperbole compensating for a failed Tory gov.”

Asked why Flynn could run as an MSP without quitting his position as an MP, Forbes said on Wednesday: “That will be a decision for [the SNP’s] National Executive Committee.

“But let me be very clear in terms of my own strong view, we need the best talent we can get representing Scottish communities the length and breadth of this country.

“We need them in Holyrood making decisions.

“The beauty of democracy is that it ultimately will be a decision for the local electorate as to who represents them, both within the party and within the public.

“Now, most recently, that was put to the test with Douglas Ross, he wasn’t returned as the MP, and therefore it proves the point that democracy works.”

READ MORE: SNP politicians call for Stephen Flynn to 'rethink' MSP bid

SNP MSP Emma Roddick said on Monday that she hopes Flynn will “rethink” his decision to hold two seats at once.

She said on X: “Party members set this rule for good reasons. Rightly, Douglas Ross was criticised for holding two roles simultaneously.”

But Flynn won support from former SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who was prevented from running for Holyrood in 2021 due to the SNP’s rules around MPs becoming MSPs.

She said: “I wish Stephen well. The SNP badly needs new blood at Holyrood.

“The rule against dual mandates introduced by the NEC in 2021 was not ‘election specific’, it was person specific. It served its purpose and I predict it will be removed.”