By Richard Wood
The Leader of the Scottish Conservative party Douglas Ross is seeking election to the constituency of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East after originally not planning to stand for Westminster. His decision came just hours before the close of nominations.
His original decision not to stand would have put an end to his dual mandate of being an MP and MSP. However, while his return to Westminster is far from certain, if he wins he will simultaneously sit in both parliament yet again.
When a politician holds two elected roles, they have a dual mandate.
These dual mandates are unfair on constituents who deserve full-time parliamentarians. Not part-timers. They are also highly impractical.
READ MORE: 5 reasons to ban MSP-MP dual mandates
It may emerge that Ross plans on stepping down from his Holyrood role after the election but that remains to be seen. For now, it seems he is intent on maintaining his dual mandate.
Let’s not forget that we’ve been here before. A 2021 Panelbase poll even asked voters for their views on Ross’ intentions if he won seat at Holyrood (which he went on to do). It found that 67% of Scots think the MP for Moray should give up at least one of his numerous positions if elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2021. This suggested most Scots oppose dual mandates, as well as second jobs.
Douglas Ross’ decision ultimately exposes the absurdity of dual mandates in Scotland. It’s time to ban them once and for all.
READ MORE: Patterns of dual mandates in the Scottish Parliament from 1999 – 2021
(Image Source: Douglas Ross MP (by David Woolfall • CC BY 3.0))
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