SNP MP Mhairi Black 'keeping options open' as she does not rule out return to frontline politics

The SNP’s deputy Westminster leader also said her party is undergoing a ‘generational shift’

Mhairi Black has said she is keeping her options open after announcing she will quit Westminster at the next election, as she did not rule out a return to frontline politics.

The SNP's deputy Westminster leader also said her party is undergoing a "generational shift".

She made the comments while appearing on the Political Party podcast with the comedian Matt Forde.

Mhairi Black

The MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South announced she will stand down at the next election earlier this month, describing Westminster as an "outdated, sexist and toxic" working environment. She became the youngest MP since 1832 when she was elected in 2015 at the age of 20.

Asked if she had any idea what she will do next, Ms Black said: “No. I went home and I was saying to my mum, ‘This is either the best or the worst decision I’ve ever made, because I truly have no idea what I’m going to do next. I think I’ve got maybe about a year to figure it out, but no, I don’t know what it’s going to look like.

"I’m keeping my options open essentially, because the first thing I want to do is just breathe for a little bit. A bit of normality. Because actually, I felt that during lockdown, after the first lockdown. I remember feeling like, ‘Is this what it’s like to go to your own bed every night? I’ve not had this for a long time.’”

Asked about standing for election to Westminster or Holyrood in future, she said: “Like I say, I’m just keeping my options open. I don’t know what I’m going to end up doing. I just know the thought of spending another five years in Westminster was making my stomach turn.”

Earlier, Ms Black was asked why things had been so turbulent in the SNP in the last year. She said: “Well, with the stuff that’s been in the newspapers, I genuinely don’t have a clue. And actually that’s, on reflection, maybe one of the constructive criticisms of how the party’s functioned before, is that everything has been a very small tent, so the vast majority of people don’t know what the score is with things. But I also think there’s a generational shift happening just now, and it’s kind of natural.”

Mr Forde is hosting three Political Party specials during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He will interview First Minister Humza Yousaf on August 8, former SNP leadership candidate Kate Forbes on August 21 and Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner on August 18.