Mhairi Black to step down at election, citing ‘toxic’ Westminster setting
T
he SNP’s deputy Westminster chief Mhairi Black has stated she’s going to step down on the subsequent common election, citing the “toxic” setting at Westminster as the explanation for her departure.
Speaking to The News Agents podcast, the Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP stated Westminster is “one of the most unhealthy workplaces that you could ever be in”.
She was first elected in 2015, when a surge in assist for the SNP noticed the social gathering win virtually each seat in Scotland. At that time she was the “baby of the House” – the youngest MP.
She instructed Emily Maitlis: “I wanted to be able to have a human conversation about why I’ve made the decision not to stand at the next general election.
“I thought there is no better person to have a conversation with than yourself… I’m stepping down at the next general election.”
Asked why she made the choice, the MP was extremely crucial of the setting at Westminster.
She stated: “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…
“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, and it’s just not a nice place to be in.”
The SNP MP stated she trusts her parliamentary colleagues however these from different events make it troublesome for her to “switch off”.
She added: “Given the unsociable hours that Westminster works as well, it feels like you’re spending a lot of your life there.
“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.”
In an announcement launched afterward social media, Ms Black stated she had determined a while in the past to not search re-election.
She stated she had reassessed her “personal priorities” and needed to spend extra time along with her family members.
Former SNP chief Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to Ms Black, tweeting: “Both gutted by and entirely understanding of this. Her reasons resonate.
“But what a loss of a unique talent, not just to the SNP but to politics generally. I only hope it’s temporary.”
SNP Westminster chief Stephen Flynn merely tweeted that Ms Black is “in a class of her own”.
First Minister and SNP chief Humza Yousaf highlighted Ms Black’s influence on politics, saying: “She has been a trailblazer – a passionate supporter of independence, equality, social justice, and simply of trying to make life better for her constituents and the wider Scottish public.
“She has also served as a role model for young people, especially women, with an interest or a desire to get involved in politics.
“I know that Mhairi has been critical of the toxic, hostile environment of Westminster, which serves as an important wake-up call to those who are determined to safeguard our democracy.”