Ian Blackford to stand down as SNP MP at next election
- Published
Mr Blackford faced four different Conservative prime ministers in their weekly question session in the House of Commons
Ian Blackford, the SNP's former Westminster leader, is to stand down as an MP at the next general election.
Mr Blackford has been the MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber since 2015, when he defeated former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy in a controversial campaign.
He led the SNP's Westminster group for five years and faced four different Conservative prime ministers at question time in the Commons.
The former banker stepped down as group leader in December.
The resignation avoided Mr Blackford facing a possible challenge from his eventual successor, Stephen Flynn, amid speculation that some of his MPs were plotting to replace him.
He had become a well-known figure in the House of Commons through his weekly appearance at Prime Minister's Questions and was seen as being a close ally of Nicola Sturgeon, the former first minister and SNP leader who stood down earlier this year.
But he angered some members of the party's Westminster group by urging them to give "absolute full support" to SNP MP Patrick Grady, who had been suspended for sexual misconduct.
Mr Blackford said he had thought "long and hard" whether to stand in next year's general election and that he was "privileged and humbled that people across my home constituency have put their trust in me at three elections".
He added: "Having stood down as SNP Westminster leader, I have gone through a period of reflection as to how I can best assist the party and the cause of independence - a cause I have campaigned for since joining the SNP as a teenager in the 1970s.
"My desire to see Scotland become an independent country, and for our country and its people to achieve its full potential, remains as strong as when I first entered politics decades ago.
"Although I will not be standing for the Westminster Parliament at the next election, I look forward to playing my part in the continuing campaign for Scottish independence and supporting our first minister and the SNP as we go forward to the next election and beyond."
Mr Blackford has been working on producing a paper on Scotland's industrial future, which he said he hoped would lead to "sustainable enhancement in economic growth, driving investment and better paid jobs in Scotland and raising living standards".
He added: "I look forward to finishing this work and continuing as the first minister's business ambassador, on behalf of the SNP."
Mr Blackford was a close ally of Nicola Sturgeon
Mr Flynn, the SNP's current group leader at Westminster, said his predecessor had played a "massive role" in making the party a formidable force in Scottish and UK politics.
He said Mr Blackford had been a "stalwart in the SNP for decades", adding: "I know Ian will be sorely missed by his constituents and colleagues when he stands down as an MP but I am confident that he will have a key role in continuing the campaign for Scotland to become an independent country."
Mr Blackford's campaign to replace Mr Kennedy as the MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber in 2015 became mired in controversy over online abuse aimed at the former Liberal Democrat leader and his long-running battle with alcoholism.
Brian Smith, who was convenor of the local SNP branch, later resigned after it was reported that he had called Mr Kennedy a "drunken slob" and "quisling-in-chief" in a series of more than 130 tweets.
Mr Kennedy died of a major haemorrhage linked to his alcoholism just three weeks after the election.