Stephen Flynn was backed by Aberdonians to stay at Westminster – but will he give that up in just two years?

Aberdeen South MP Stephen Flynn is two months into the job at Westminster but is yet to make up his mind about a potential move to the Scottish Parliament.

If he does decide to stand for Holyrood, could he also mount a party leadership bid?

And will longer-serving SNP politicians – including a “Stop Stephen” faction – accept that move while others have done years more service?

These are the questions he faces as Westminster group leader as the party tries to recover from losing 39 MPs in the general election in July.

Stephen Flynn quizzed over Holyrood

Mr Flynn was among the remaining nine pushed into a distant fourth place behind a resurgent Lib Dem party.

It prompted renewed questions about his ambition, and whether he will need to try for Holyrood if he wants to lead the party one day.

He only became SNP Westminster leader in December 2022, 19 days after denying being involved in a coup to oust Ian Blackford.

“I’ll think about it next year and I’ll make a decision probably next year,” Mr Flynn says during a briefing with reporters in London.

But he is quick to say there’s a job to be done in Aberdeen South.

“That’s my priority just now and it will be my priority for the next few months and into next year I’ll make a decision,” he adds.

A question mark also hangs over any leadership ambition, just a few months after John Swinney was made SNP leader for a second time in his long political career.

Mr Flynn says: “You should always be confident in your abilities and what it is you believe in but it’s just not something I’ve put a great deal of thought into.”

He adds: “I’m genuinely glad we’ve got John Swinney at the head of the party.”

‘Stop Stephen?’

Any ambition could be curtailed by a quiet grouping calling itself the “stop-Stephen” faction.

One well-placed insider explains: “You have a group of people in Holyrood who have been doing the hard work of government.

“You can understand why they don’t particularly like the idea that Stephen can just turn up and become leader and first minister.”

Others point out the SNP’s current rules, put in place in 2021, would require him to resign his Aberdeen South seat in Westminster to stand for the Scottish Parliament in 2026.

A second source said: “No, I don’t think it would go down well to change the rules for Stephen.”

The more immediate problem for Mr Flynn is keeping the SNP relevant at Westminster – something he hopes to do without resorting to parliamentary “hissy fits”.

“I’m not really one for stunts and I think in order to have a bit of credibility with the public, particularly when dealing with serious issues, you need to act in a serious fashion,” he says, recalling former SNP Westminster leaders Alex Salmond and Ian Blackford.

“It’s very difficult to get your view across in a room if you’re choosing to walk out of it.

“Ultimately there’s a finite amount of time you can throw a hissy fit.”

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