By Richard Wood
Rules preventing MSPs from also holding seats in Westminster are now almost certain to come into force.
The Scottish Government has backed a ban proposed by a Conservative MSP and supported by a Green MSP.
After Graham Simpson MSP retabled his amendments to the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill, the Scottish Government has worked with him to table new amendments which state that “Scottish Ministers must lay before the Scottish Parliament a draft of a Scottish statutory instrument containing regulations which (a) make provision to the effect that a person is disqualified from membership of the Scottish Parliament if that person is a member of the House of Commons.
READ MORE: Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill set to return on 17 December 2024
What does this mean?
Simply put, it’s a victory for the campaign to ban dual mandates though there’s still some time before the ban is implemented.
Dual mandates are bad for effective representation. Constituents deserve representatives working full-time for them in parliament. Not part-time MSPs.
What next?
If the amendments pass, the Scottish Government will be introducing a consultation in 2025, with a ban set to come into force ahead of the 2026 elections if all goes to plan.
READ MORE: Patterns of dual mandates in the Scottish Parliament from 1999 – 2021
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