Shona Robison and Fiona Hyslop to step down at next election

Finance secretary Shona Robison and transport secretary Fiona Hyslop will not seek re-election next year, it has been announced.

Both MSPs are part of the diminishing pool of '99ers – a group first elected when parliament was reconvened in 1999 and have served continuously ever since.

They are the third and fourth members of the government to announce such a decision, with business minister Richard Lochhead and further and higher education minister Graeme Dey also standing down at the end of the term.

Robison said: “It has been a great privilege to serve as an SNP MSP since the Scottish Parliament was first reconvened in 1999, and as a minister and cabinet secretary in successive SNP governments since 2007.

“After careful consideration and reflection, I have decided that I will not seek re-election at the Scottish Parliament election next year. By the time of the next election, I will have been an MSP for 27 years, and I believe now is the right time for me to take on some new challenges and contribute to public life in a different way.”

Her decision creates another vacancy in Dundee for the SNP, following Joe Fitzpatrick’s decision not to stand either.

Two of the area's MPs – Stephen Gethins and David Doogan – have indicated they wish to move to Holyrood. They would not be able to hold positions in both the Scottish and UK parliaments simultaneously, following a decision by MSPs late last year, so such moves would trigger Westminster by-elections.

Hyslop said: “After much careful thought and consideration, I have decided that the time is right for me to retire, which means that I will not be seeking re-election in the forthcoming 2026 election to the Scottish Parliament.

“The decision to retire is entirely personal and I do it for positive reasons. I recently became a grandmother and having served 26 years as an MSP – 27 years at the next election – with 16 of those in government at cabinet level, I have decided that this is the right election for me to retire and it is a decision which will give me the valuable opportunity to spend more time with my family and loved ones.”

She was elected as a Lothian MSP in 1999, winning the Linlithgow seat in 2011. She entered government in 2007 as the SNP's first education secretary but was demoted in 2009 to culture minister.

She re-entered cabinet after the 2011 election which saw the SNP win an outright majority, holding the culture secretary position for nine years. After a stint as economy secretary, Hyslop returned to the backbenches at the start of the session. She returned to government as transport secretary last year.

Robison was elected as a regional MSP for North East Scotland in 1999, but won the Dundee East seat (now Dundee City East) in 2003 and has held onto it since.

She entered government when the SNP took power in 2007, first serving as minister for public health and sport. She would go on to become the Commonwealth Games minister in the run-up to Glasgow’s hosting of the event in 2014.

Promoted to health secretary in 2014 when Nicola Sturgeon took over from Alex Salmond, she has long been seen as a close ally to Sturgeon.

She became social justice secretary in 2021, before taking in the finance brief under Humza Yousaf. She also served as Yousaf’s deputy, but gave up this position to allow Kate Forbes back into government when John Swinney become first minister.

Posting on Bluesky, Swinney said: “Shona has made such a formidable contribution to the SNP, to parliament and to the Scottish Government. She has been a great friend, colleague and ally to me, and I am sorry she will stand down at the election. I send my warmest wishes to her for all that lies ahead.”

Of Hyslop, he commented that she “has been a much valued colleague, ally and friend” who has “made a massive contribution” to the SNP, the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government, adding: “I will miss her counsel but wish her well for the future.”

Other SNP MSPs who have announced they are not seeking re-election next year include Yousaf, Michelle Thomson and Elena Whitham.

Oliver Mundell, Liz Smith and Edward Mountain, of the Conservatives, also intend to stand down.

Beatrice Wishart is the only Lib Dem and Richard Leonard the only Labour MSP so far to announce they will not be fighting the next election.