John Swinney insists SNP does not have a woman problem

John Swinney has denied the SNP has an issue with women despite almost two thirds of the party’s MSPs who are quitting Holyrood next year being female.

So far, 29 sitting MSPs have announced they will not re-stand at next year’s Holyrood election including 23 from the SNP. Of those 23 SNP MSPs who have so far said they are standing down next year, 14 are women.

First Minister John Swinney | National World

But the First Minister has denied the SNP has a problem with women and has warned there are “big issues” in wider politics about how women are treated - as he accused the Scottish Conservative leader of using last week’s FMQs to “hurl abuse at a woman”.

More than half of SNP MSPs elected at the 2021 Holyrood election are female.

The mass resignations come amid reports SNP Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, backtracked on an initial attempt to take the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat, currently held by his party colleague Audrey Nicoll. But Mr Flynn has put himself forward as a potential Holyrood candidate.

Ms Nicoll is one of the 14 female SNP MSPs standing down next year, although she has denied her decision was swayed by Mr Flynn.

Official nominations to stand as an SNP candidate in the election open today. Many big names have passed vetting including Mr Flynn and fellow current MPs Dave Doogan and Stephen Gethins.

Read more: The Scottish politicians standing down at the 2026 Holyrood election

Other former SNP MPs who have passed vetting include former deputy Westminster leader Kirsten Oswald, alongside Alison Thewliss, Alyn Smith, Tommy Sheppard, Amy Callaghan and David Linden.

Asked if the SNP has a woman issue, Mr Swinney said: “No, I don’t think that.

“I think there are some big issues about how women feel in public life because of the amount of abuse that’s hurled about.

“We had a classic example of it, last week, from Russell Findlay at First Minister’s Questions, where he used four questions to, basically, hurl abuse at a woman.”

Read more: Nicola Sturgeon accused of 'toxic agenda' that 'trampled on women's rights'

The Scottish Tory leader used his questions at the weekly session on Thursday to attack the record of Ms Sturgeon, which he described as a “vast back catalogue of failure”.

The First Minister added that he was “very pleased” with the female candidates in his party who are seeking election next year.

He said: “I want to give every signal I possibly can.

“I want to encourage women to participate in public life and in politics and to come forward for election and for us to benefit from their contribution."

As well as Ms Sturgeon and Mr Yousaf, current senior cabinet secretaries Shona Robison, Fiona Hyslop and Mairi Gougeon will stand down at next year’s election, as will junior ministers Natalie Don-Innes, Graeme Dey, Richard Lochhead and Christine McKelvie – who is currently on leave receiving cancer treatment.

Former health secretary Michael Matheson, who resigned after a months-long saga over a near-£11,000 iPad bill racked up by his children while on holiday, announced he would not seek re-election on Sunday.

But despite the exodus from the SNP benches, the party’s chief whip in Westminster, Kirsty Blackman, said there was a “huge amount of talent among proposed candidates”.

In response to the First Minister’s criticism of Mr Findlay’s attack of Ms Sturgeon, Scottish Conservative deputy leader, Rachael Hamilton, branded Mr Swinney’ comments “desperate deflection”.

She added: “The reason Russell highlighted Nicola Sturgeon’s record is because it’s truly dismal and John Swinney supported her every step of the way.

“We wouldn’t be doing our job as an opposition party if we ignored the many policy failures and broken promises of Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney, which continue to negatively affect Scots’ lives.

“As for the number of women SNP MSPs stepping down, perhaps this is a reaction to Stephen Flynn bulldozing aside a sitting female MSP in a bid to land a Holyrood seat, and John Swinney doing nothing about it.”