Double standards as Stephen Flynn seeks election to Scottish Parliament and stay on at Westminster

Still reeling from the blow of losing all but nine of its 40-plus MPs at the general election, and with the dark cloud of the police investigation into its finances hanging over it, the SNP has now been plunged into further turmoil.

Stephen Flynn is often tipped as a future SNP leader | PA

Mr Flynn, often tipped as a future leader of the SNP, has said he wants to become an MSP at the next Holyrood elections in 2026, but would also continue as an MP.  

Some fellow Nationalists are less than impressed and his statement of intent was immediately seized on by political opponents as blatant hypocrisy, given the SNP's forthright attacks on former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross for his "doubling jobbing" as an MP and MSP, not to mention his football linesman duties on the side.

It does indeed seem to be a clear case of double standards.  But perhaps even worse is the widespread expectation that the SNP's rules will be rewritten to fit Mr Flynn's plans.

When Joanna Cherry, the then Edinburgh South West MP, made a bid to become the SNP candidate for Edinburgh Central at the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, she was effectively barred by a new rule which required sitting MPs to resign their seat in advance if they were to seek selection for Holyrood.

Her forced withdrawal from the contest allowed Angus Robertson - who had lost his Westminster seat four years earlier - to be elected As Edinburgh Central MSP.

But because it now suits Mr Flynn to have two roles, the rules look likely to be changed accordingly.   

At the start of devolution most of the existing MPs who were elected to the new Scottish Parliament kept their Westminster seats until the next general election.  It avoided the disruption of an avalanche of by-elections and arguably provided some continuity and connection at a time of transition.

But since then, most have recognised that being a member of either parliament is really a full-time job, even more so if there are also ministerial or party leadership responsibilities.