The ban on double jobbing has been given the green light to receive royal assent after Stephen Flynn caused uproar by planning to serve an MSP and MP at the same time.
Labour Scottish Secretary Ian Murray’s office has written to Holyrood’s Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone confirming that he is content for the Scottish Parliament’s Bill to move forward to Royal Assent and become law.
MSPs voted last month to disqualify MPs from serving at the Scottish Parliament and Westminster at the same time.
A Labour source said: “The Labour government has reset the relationship with the SNP government in Edinburgh. There must be delight around the SNP cabinet table at this Bill going ahead.
“Being an MSP is a full-time job an Stephen Flynn took the people of Aberdeen for granted when he said he could that job while swanning around Westminster.”
Flynn, the MP for Aberdeen South, sparked a huge backlash when he said he wanted to stand for Holyrood in 2026. His plan, which was condemned by party critics, involved toppling sitting MSP Audrey Nicoll and sitting in both parliaments. He later u-turned on his double jobbing plan.
Murray had previously voiced support for the legislation, telling the Scottish Affairs select committee: “Double jobbing is something that I would find incredibly difficult. There’s not enough time in the day to do one job, let alone two, particularly if we want to represent our constituents properly as well.
“I would have thought that double jobbing is something that we would want to make sure doesn’t happen. It has of course happened in the past, but everyone sitting round this table will know how difficult it is being a constituency MP, let alone having other responsibilities as well. So, yes, I would have thought the Scottish Parliament may want to look at that.”
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