Stephen Flynn has said he resigned as the Scottish National Party’s Westminster group leader “three, four, maybe five weeks” before last year’s Holyrood election, rather than as a consequence of his subsequent selection as an MSP.
Early decision, managed transition
Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe event Political Party with Matt Forde in Edinburgh, Mr Flynn, now cabinet secretary for economy, tourism and transport, said his decision to step down pre-dated his candidacy at Holyrood and formed part of a behind-the-scenes transition to a new Westminster leader, which later became public.
He told the audience he made the move in the wake of the 2024 general election, when the SNP’s representation at Westminster fell to nine seats — a decline of 38 seats from 2019 that left the party as the second largest in Scotland.
“Prior to the election I’d already resigned as the Westminster group leader. I did it three, four, maybe five weeks before the election.”
Mr Flynn said his motivations were practical. He described a duty to the staff who worked for the Westminster group and to colleagues who were left in “a bit of shock” by the election outcome. He said stepping down was intended to allow those people time to find new employment and to enable party business to continue with minimal disruption ahead of the Holyrood contest.
Personal factors and political context
He also framed his decision in personal terms, saying that long periods in Westminster had limited his family life. Mr Flynn said he felt he had not been “a good dad” while serving in Westminster, and that moving to Holyrood afforded him more time with his wife and children.
The revelation provides fresh detail on the SNP’s internal handling of its post-2024 general election period. The party’s heavy losses at Westminster prompted leadership and organisational changes that were managed privately before being disclosed publicly, according to Mr Flynn’s account.
Implications for party management
Mr Flynn’s account raises questions about how parties manage leadership transitions after poor electoral showings. He said his actions were driven by a sense of responsibility both to staff and to the party’s future operations.
- Timing: Resignation occurred several weeks before the Holyrood election.
- Electoral backdrop: SNP reduced to nine Westminster seats in 2024, down 38 on 2019.
- Motivation: Protect staff, manage shock among colleagues, and address personal/family considerations.
The disclosure also underscores the separation between Westminster and Holyrood political careers for some politicians. Mr Flynn’s movement from Westminster leadership to a cabinet role in the Scottish Government highlights the career routes taken by senior figures within the SNP after electoral setbacks.
What remains public and what was private
According to Mr Flynn, the internal handover to Dave Doogan as Westminster leader was concluded before the Scottish election but was only announced publicly afterwards. He described the need to sustain party operations and to shield colleagues from further instability as key factors in that decision-making.
Observers will note the account adds a layer of explanation to the party’s handling of the turbulent period following the general election. It does not, however, address other internal debates about strategy or strategy changes that followed the Westminster losses.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Resignation timing | "Three, four, maybe five weeks" before the Holyrood election (Mr Flynn’s account) |
| SNP Westminster seats (2024) | 9 seats |
| Seat change since 2019 | -38 seats |
The remarks were made in a public forum rather than in official party statements. Party officials have not provided a detailed timeline to corroborate every element of Mr Flynn’s description but his account gives a first-person explanation of why the transition was handled privately before appearing in the public record.
As this episode shows, leadership decisions after electoral setbacks can be shaped by both political calculation and personnel considerations. Parties navigating similar moments must weigh transparency against the immediate needs of staff and the stability of operations — a judgement Mr Flynn says informed his choice to step aside when he did.
