Scotland’s Finance Secretary announces plans to quit Holyrood in 2026
Shona Robison said she would not stand for election again to the Scottish Parliament in next May’s elections.
Scotland’s Finance Secretary has announced she will not stand for re-election next year after more than a quarter of a century at Holyrood.
Shona Robison, who served as deputy first minister in the Scottish Government under Humza Yousaf, has confirmed she will not put herself forward for election in May 2026.
The SNP MSP said that after “careful consideration and reflection” she had decided not to run again.
Ms Robison stated: “By the time of the next election, I will have been an MSP for 27 years, and I believe now is the right time for me to take on some new challenges and contribute to public life in a different way.”
The Dundee City East MSP has been at Holyrood since its establishment in 1999, and since 2007 has served in a variety of roles in the Scottish Government, including as health secretary when Nicola Sturgeon was first minister.
As a minister she was in charge of preparations for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in Alex Salmond’s government, before joining the Scottish Cabinet during his time in charge.
She was social justice secretary when the Parliament passed controversial gender recognition reforms, which despite being approved by MSPs were blocked by the then Conservative government at Westminster.
She later became deputy first minister when Mr Yousaf took over as first minister, holding the finance brief in the Scottish Government at the same time.
And she retained this role as Finance Secretary when John Swinney took over as First Minister last year.
Ms Robison said: “It has been a great privilege to serve as an SNP MSP since the Scottish Parliament was first reconvened in 1999, and as a minister and Cabinet secretary in successive SNP governments since 2007.”
She said she was “deeply proud of my ministerial contributions and achievements” including overseeing preparations for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and implementing minimum unit pricing for alcohol – hailing this as a “world-leading policy that has saved hundreds of lives”.
Ms Robison also highlighted her role as “delivering and more than doubling of the ‘game-changing’ Scottish Child Payment, as part of our journey to eradicate child poverty in Scotland”.
And as Finance Secretary she added: “I am particularly proud of steering the Scottish Budget through Parliament earlier this year.
“It is a budget for Scotland that delivers record funding for our NHS and local councils, action to effectively scrap the cruel two-child cap, and restores a universal winter heating payment for every pensioner household.”
Despite her achievements in government she added: “The best moments over my time at Holyrood have come from representing and supporting my constituents.
“I will forever be grateful to them for giving me the opportunity to serve them over the many years I have represented the city.
“From the scrapping of the Tay Bridge tolls back in 2007, to creating over 1,000 jobs at Social Security Scotland’s Dundee headquarters, to delivering the Dundee Waterfront transformation, with V&A Dundee at its heart, and securing hundreds of jobs for Dundee at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, I’m proud of the progress that we have made in the city.”
She thanked the people of Dundee City East for allowing her to “speak up for them and our city”.
She also stated: “Although I will no longer serve in Parliament, I will continue to campaign for and support the SNP, alongside my lifelong goal of delivering independence for Scotland.”
