SNP minister becomes latest to announce decision to stand down from Holyrood

The Angus South representative was elected to Holyrood during the landslide victory for the Nationalists in 2011.

Born in Aberdeen, the former journalist served as minister for parliamentary business and veterans from 2018 before becoming transport minister in 2021.

Mr Dey resigned in 2022 for health reasons, but returned the ministerial office when he took on the higher end further education brief in 2023.

His announcement comes just weeks after Mr Dey published the Tertiary Education and Training Bill, which aims to simplify the funding system for learners at college and university, as well as apprentices, in Scotland.

If passed by MSPs, the Bill will see responsibility for providing national training programmes and apprenticeships move to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) from Skills Development Scotland (SDS). It will also hand the SFC greater powers to oversee the financial sustainability of colleges and universities.

In a statement issued on social media on Wednesday, Mr Dey said: “It has been my absolute privilege to serve the people of Angus South and represent the SNP in the Scottish Parliament for the past 14 years.

“And to have been afforded the honour of serving as a Scottish Government minister under three different first ministers is beyond anything I could have imagined when I was first elected in 2011.

“However, I have informed the Angus South Constituency Association of my decision not to seek the nomination to be the SNP candidate in 2026.

“Were I to be successfully re-elected, serving a further five-year term would see me approaching my 69th birthday when the 2031 elections came around. And that’s not a commitment I feel able to make.

“Be assured however, I will continue to give of my absolute best as an MSP and Government minister over the coming 14 months and playing my part in seeking to deliver an SNP victory here in Angus South and across Scotland in 2026. And beyond that I will remain a resolute campaigner for Independence.”

Mr Dey is the latest senior figure to announce their decision to stand down, with others including former first minister Humza Yousaf.