Vote: Should 'double jobbing' be allowed for Scottish politicians?

Is it OK for politicians to be both MPs and MSPs at the same time? You decide in our online poll

Leading nationalist politician Stephen Flynn’s bid to become an MSP as well as an MP – by ousting an SNP party colleague from her seat – has prompted a furious row over so-called ‘double jobbing’.

A Conservative MSP, Graham Simpson, plans to reintroduce an amendment to election legislation that would ban what are officially known as “dual mandates”. These are already not permitted in the Welsh and Northern Ireland legislatures.

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But what do you think? Should both roles be treated as full-time jobs? Or is there a case to be made for allowing parties’ best politicians to be in both Westminster and Holyrood?

Scottish Labour and the Greens have said they will back a ban on double-jobbing, with Labour’s Martin Whitfield saying "it is the height of arrogance to try and do both”.

However, several high-profile politicians have worked simultaneously as MPs and MSPs in the past, including former first minister Alex Salmond and former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross.

The SNP changed its party rules in 2021, so that MPs seeking to stand for Holyrood would have to resign their Westminster seat before being allowed to run for Holyrood. However, this was widely viewed as a partisan move to make it more difficult for SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who had fallen out with the-then leadership, to stand as an MSP.

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However, Mr Flynn’s move prompted SNP deputy leader Kate Forbes to say he would be a “brilliant asset” to the Scottish Parliament, suggesting a willingness to accommodate him. However, John Swinney, who was himself an MP and MSP for two years, has said the party was still thinking about the issue and would make a decision “in the fullness of time”.

Another consideration is ‘double jobbing’ might save some money or lead to a substantial donation to charity, with Mr Flynn, like Mr Ross, saying he would not accept two salaries if elected.

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