The SNP’s deputy Westminster leader, Mhairi Black, has said she will step down at the next general election, saying the “toxic environment” of the House of Commons had played a role in her decision.
The Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP, who was first elected to Westminster in 2015 when she was only 20 years old, described the Houses of Parliament as “one of the most unhealthy workplaces that you could ever be in”.
Her announcement that she will not be seeking re-election was made during an interview with Emily Maitlis on The News Agents podcast, which was released on Tuesday.
Asked why she had made the decision to step down, Ms Black said: “Honestly, because I’m tired, is a big part of it. And the thing that makes me tired is Westminster.
“I think it is one of the most unhealthy workplaces that you could ever be in. It’s a toxic environment. Just the entire design of the place and how it functions is just the opposite of everything that I find comfortable.”
She continued: “It’s definitely a poisonous place. Whether that’s because of what folk can get away with in it, or the number of personal motivations, and folk having ulterior motives for things, it’s just not a nice place to be in.”
She added that she was not referring to her SNP collegues but those from other parties.
“It’s difficult to know if somebody is talking to you because there’s a genuine relationship there, or whether they’re looking for opportunities, so you can never really switch off when you’re in Westminster,” she said.
“Given the unsociable hours that Westminster works as well, it feels like you’re spending a lot of your life there. And in the run up to the next election, I’ve realised, that will be almost 10 years that I’ll have been elected.
“So, a third of my life I’ve spent in Westminster, which gives me the ick.”
Ms Black has become the sixth SNP MP to announce stepping down at the next general election, which is expected to take place next year and must happen before January 2025.
Last week, the party’s former depute leader Stewart Hosie said he would also be quitting, following similar announcements by former Westminster leader Ian Blackford, former party treasurer Douglas Chapman, and MPs Peter Grant and Angela Crawley.
Their announcements have come during a period of internal turmoil for the SNP, with several key figures, including Nicola Sturgeon, being arrested by police investigating the party’s finances.
The former first minister, her husband Peter Murrell and former party treasurer Colin Beattie were all later released without charge pending further investigation, with Ms Sturgeon repeatedly declaring her innocence.
In the wake of Ms Black’s announcement, Ms Sturgeon said she was “gutted” by her decision to step down, but said she hoped she would stand for a seat at the Scottish Parliament in the future.
“Both gutted by and entirely understanding of this. Her reasons resonate,” she wrote on Twitter.
“But what a loss of a unique talent, not just to the SNP but to politics generally. I only hope it’s temporary. The world needs more Mhairi Blacks in politics, not fewer. I hope we will see her in the Scottish Parliament in future.”
