How the SNP's regional list selections could ensure Westminster class enters Holyrood
Several prominent current and former Westminster MPs have been given a second bite of ensuring they enter Holyrood by the SNP.
The SNP’s regional list candidates may have a slim chance of becoming MSPs - but the politicians favoured by the party shows we can expect some familiar faces in the new Holyrood class.
In 2021, the SNP saw just two regional list MSPs elected , due to the so-called D’Hondt method that means if you do well in the constituencies, you are less likely to secure seats on the list.
With a string of former MPs who lost their seats at the 2024 general election hoping to re-enter frontline politics at Holyrood, the SNP regional list selections give an indication of who is being handed a good chance of making the cut.
READ MORE: SNP in touching distance of Holyrood majority with Reform poised to edge pass Labour, new poll finds
With more than half of the named list candidates also standing in constituencies, if the SNP does have an exceptional night on May 7, some party novices have a genuine chance of entering Holyrood in May. But the selections are really a story about former MPs coming back to the fold - the so-called “Failed In London, Try Holyrood” (Filth) strategy.
Glasgow, which is expected to be a key battleground between the SNP and Labour, despite polls showing Mr Swinney’s party could sweep the board, has given Alison Thewliss a second chance of entering Holyrood.
Ms Thewliss, one of the SNP’s most impressive performers at Westminster, is standing in the new Glasgow Central constituency.
But if Ms Thewliss has a difficult night in her constituency contest, she is first on the list in Glasgow, meaning Ms Thewliss has a second bite at the cherry. The same cannot be said for former Glasgow East MP David Linden.
Mr Linden has only managed fourth place on the Glasgow list. But with ministers Ivan McKee and Kaukab Stewart, who outrank him on the list, likely to win their constituencies, the door is still open for Mr Linden - given he faces a tougher challenge for his Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston seat in May.
In the newly-shaped Edinburgh and Lothians East, two former MSPs have been given, albeit a very small, opportunity to enter Holyrood. Tommy Shepherd and Deidre Brock top the SNP’s list, with constitution secretary Angus Robertson down in fourth place.
In the North East, current Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has been put in first place, ahead of energy secretary Gillian Martin. Both could benefit from Reform splitting the Tories’ vote in their constituencies, but Mr Flynn, seen as a potential future party leader, could also have a second chance of entering Holyrood if he has a bad night.
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