Ian Blackford has confirmed that he will stand down as the SNP’s leader in Westminster, saying that it was time for “fresh leadership” in the position.
Blackford has occupied the role for five years and will formally resign from his standing at the SNP Westminster group’s AGM next week.
He said: “After more than five years in the role, now is the right time for fresh leadership at Westminster as we head towards a general election and the next steps in winning Scotland's independence.
“During my time as leader, the SNP won a landslide victory in the 2019 general election, with an increased share of the vote and MPs, and support for independence has continued to grow with polling this week showing a majority in favour.”
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to her close ally, thanking him for his “diligence, tenacity, friendship and loyalty in his time as group leader.”
Sturgeon added: “I look forward to working with Ian's successor as group leader at Westminster, as we continue to make the case for the people of Scotland to have a democratic choice on the country's future.”
Blackford has said that he intends to stay on as the MP for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency, a seat which he has held since 2015.
He will also take on a new role within the SNP, working on its independence campaign.
The upcoming AGM will be held on Tuesday (December 6), with the 44 SNP MPs to vote on who will succeed Blackford as its Westminster leader after he formally steps aside.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry said that she hoped Blackford’s successor would be selected “without outside interference and in accordance with our standing orders” and that the time had indeed come for “fresh leadership and tolerance of debate and diverse viewpoints.”
Meanwhile, some believe that Blackford’s departure is indicative of turmoil within the SNP.
Ian Murray, Labour’s shadow Scotland secretary, said that Blackford’s standing down showed that the SNP was in “disarray” and that Nicola Sturgeon’s plans to make the next general election a “de facto referendum” were “finished before it is even started.”
Others believe that Blackford’s departure was overdue, after he’d caused controversy in the past by calling on MPs to offer their backing to SNP MP Patrick Grady when he was suspended for sexual misconduct.
Craig Hoy, chairman of the Scottish Tories, said that Sturgeon should have immediately dismissed Blackford for supporting Grady.
Hoy said: “It is clear that, unlike Nicola Sturgeon, SNP MPs were not prepared to forgive how Ian Blackford put the needs of the perpetrator above the victim who had bravely come forward in this case.
“The SNP Westminster group are clearly in a state of disarray and Nicola Sturgeon is rapidly losing her grip over her party.”
