Stephen Flynn has ruled out a challenge to John Swinney as Scotland’s First Minister, and Leader of the Scottish National Party, instead insisting his priorities lie with his family.
Speaking to Iain Dale at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on August 22nd, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport said that he “wouldn’t even consider” any moves that might invoke a challenge, remarking that “[John Swinney]’s the best politician” in any room the First Minister finds himself in.
Pushed a second time, however, Flynn didn’t rule out the possibility forever, remarking that he “can’t see a scenario whilst [his] kids are young”.
“Having that extra time to be with my family is really important to me”.
It is unclear whether he would be prepared to challenge Swinney in the future.
The MSP for Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine was elected to the Scottish Parliament in May following his tenure as an MP since 2019.
He served as Westminster Leader almost immediately until his victory in May, and was appointed to the Scottish Cabinet shortly afterward, which led to speculation that he may consider a challenge to John Swinney.
Speaking about this directly, Flynn believes the speculation to be “misplaced” and repeated his assertion that returning to Holyrood was for personal reasons only, despite an endorsement from former SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who had previously told Dale that she would endorse him in a future leadership election.
Flynn swiftly shut down the idea, quipping that “I don’t need an endorsement from anyone about anything at the moment”, a cold rejection of Cherry’s proposal.
Flynn and Dale also discussed a variety of other issues during the 70-minute conversation, including the Aberdeen South by-election result, the SNP's record in Holyrood and Scottish independence.