Sarah Boyack to return to Holyrood as Labour MSP

Sarah Boyack was previously an MSP from 1999 to 2016

Former transport minister Sarah Boyack is to return to Holyrood as a Labour MSP when Kezia Dugdale leaves.

Ms Dugdale announced on Monday that she was leaving frontline politics for a job at a think tank, and Ms Boyack will take over her Lothians region seat.

Ms Boyack served as an MSP from 1999 to 2016, and said she felt she had had "unfinished business" at Holyrood.

Ms Dugdale will leave at the end of the current session in July, with Ms Boyack taking up her seat.

• Former Labour leader Dugdale to quit Holyrood

• Profile: Kezia Dugdale

Ms Boyack - who lost out on the Scottish Labour leadership to Jim Murphy in 2014 - had been an MSP since the Scottish Parliament was set up in its current form in 1999.

She served as environment minister in the first Holyrood government, under Donald Dewar, and was transport minister when free bus travel for over-60s was introduced.

She lost her seat at the 2016 election after ranking behind Ms Dugdale and Neil Findlay on the Lothian list and finishing third in the race for the Edinburgh Central constituency.

Kezia Dugdale is leaving Holyrood for a new role based at the University of Glasgow

Ms Boyack went on to work for the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, but is stepping down from that role to return to Holyrood.

She said it had been a "privilege" to work for the group, but said the years since she had left politics had shown why she had "unfinished business" in parliament.

She said: "In the last three years the case for concerted action on climate change and the need to redouble our efforts to tackle poverty has accelerated.

"In Edinburgh, the affordable, accessible housing people need has become harder and harder to secure. And then there's the uncertainty and division caused by Brexit.

"These are huge challenges and I'd relish the opportunity to serve in the Scottish Parliament."