However, the party seems unlikely to back Mr Simpson’s proposal after leader Alex Cole-Hamilton told The Herald on Saturday he would not rule out MPs running for the Scottish Parliament elections in 2026 saying he does not criticise Mr Flynn for putting himself forward for Holyrood.
Graham Simpson wants to end so-called double jobbing after a number of party controversies including a move by the Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross to stand for Westminster while he was an MSP. The practice is not allowed in Stormont or in the Welsh Parliament.
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Mr Simpson put down an amendment to a Holyrood bill earlier this month, though did not push the matter to a vote after the Scottish Government announced it would consult on the issue ahead of the 2026 election.
But Mr Simpson said yesterday he would re-table his amendment to the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill to ban double jobbing.
The bill is expected to be voted on in its final parliamentary stage either before Christmas or early in the new year.
Under his proposals, an MP who is elected to Holyrood would be required to stand down from Westminster within eight days.
“Stephen Flynn has helped me to make up my mind on this,” he wrote in the newspaper.
“Being an MSP is a full-time job and anyone lucky enough to have the honour of being elected to the Scottish Parliament should be doing so on that basis.
“It is wrong that anyone should be able to sit as an MSP and MP at the same time.”
Scottish Labour business manager Martin Whitfield said “Being an MP or an MSP is a full-time job and it is the height of arrogance to try and do both.
“Whether it’s Douglas Ross or Stephen Flynn, Tory and SNP politicians have been taking their constituents for granted for too long.
“The public deserve real representation in each of their parliaments and Scottish Labour will back plans to end double-jobbing.”
Scottish Greens MSP Gillian McKay said: “Being an MP or an MSP is a privilege. They are full-time jobs, and all of our constituents deserve full-time representation.
“The Scottish Greens support ending dual mandates between Holyrood and Westminster. This isn’t about individuals, it is about recognising the importance of our parliament and the work it does.
“This has gone on for too long. Other devolved parliaments have rules in place to stop it, and Holyrood should too.”
Mr Flynn announced last week that he wanted to run for the Holyrood seat of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat in 2026.
But his decision prompted a backlash within the party after he said he would not step down as the MP for Aberdeen South.
The Scottish Parliament seat, which overlaps with Mr Flynn’s Westminster seat, is currently held by SNP MSP Audrey Nicol.
Mr Flynn previously criticised Mr Ross for holding seats in both parliaments.
Mr Simpson said Scotland was an outlier in the UK as dual mandates are already banned in Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Central Scotland MSP had initially tabled amendments to ban the practice but was told by Jamie Hepburn, the minister for parliamentary business, that he wanted to have a consultation first and that legislation would not go ahead until after the 2026 Holyrood election.
He said: “At stage 2 I did not put my amendments to a vote. I would have lost but then Mr Flynn did us all a favour by showing his hand.”
He added: “The Scottish Parliament should be given the opportunity to end this nonsense ahead of 2026 and I will give it that chance.
“I will re-table my amendments on this so that parties can do the right thing and show that MSPs think the practice of double jobbing is no longer acceptable.”
Mr Flynn has defended his decision to sit in both parliaments but admitted it was “not a pleasant situation” for him to try and oust one of his SNP colleagues from Holyrood.
Asked on the BBC’s Sunday Show about the reaction within the party, Mr Flynn said: “There’s always going to be a strong reaction to someone seeking to do things differently, I’ve experienced this before in politics.
“It’s not something which is particularly pleasant, it’s not something which is particularly comfortable, particularly when you’re dealing with people who you know really well, you’re dealing with, in my case, a colleague who overlaps almost entirely with the constituency that I currently represent at Westminster.
“This is not a pleasant situation for either of us.
“All I’m seeking to do is ask the members who vote for us, who ultimately decide who their candidate is going to be, to make a decision.”
