'I’m not in the game of being pressurised by men', declares SNP MSP as Stephen Flynn bid looms

An SNP MSP has rejected claims she was pressured to stand down at the next election to make way for the party’s Westminster leader.

Audrey Nicoll announced earlier this month she would not run again in the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat she has held since 2021.

SNP MP Audrey Nicoll (left) and party Westminster leader Stephen Flynn | NationalWorld

The announcement came months after Stephen Flynn had announced his intention to seek the candidacy in the constituency, before walking the decision back following backlash.

In an interview with The National, former police officer Ms Nicoll said she had not been pressured to stand aside.

“By the time you reach my age, and especially having worked in a male-dominated work environment for 31 years, I’m not in the game of being pressurised by men into doing something that isn’t right for me,” she said.

The decision instead came after reflection over the Christmas period, she added, with her initial intention having been to only sit in Holyrood for one parliamentary session.

Rumours of Mr Flynn’s internal manoeuvres have long spread through Westminster and Holyrood, with reports emerging this week of a “hit list” of MSPs he hoped to replace with ousted former MPs.

The Westminster leader denied any such list exists.

Ms Nicoll added: “The hit list is not something that I was aware of. It’s certainly not come across my radar in Holyrood.”

The party, however, has “got to be careful to how we respond” to it, Ms Nicoll added.

Last year, Mr Flynn announced he was seeking to stand for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine at the next Holyrood elections, prompting criticism from many within his own party.

He had insisted he notified Ms Nicoll of his intention to stand in her seat, ringing her the night before his original announcement.

But the senior SNP figure later backed down on his controversial bid to be both an MP and an MSP, admitting to party colleagues he “got this one wrong”.

The SNP’s National Executive Committee is expected to decide shortly if members are allowed to hold seats in both parliaments.

The party has been vocal in its criticism of dual mandates, repeatedly attacking former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross when he sat in both parliaments.