Politicians should be blocked from serving at both Holyrood and Westminster

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The SNP rightly criticised former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross for his double-jobbing antics.

Being an MSP and MP are separate jobs and require two people to carry out these different roles. Ross refused to give up ­Westminster and fatally undermined his credibility.

But it is outrageous hypocrisy for the SNP to attack double jobbing for the Tories and now allow their own ­politicians to do it. Stephen Flynn has been an effective MP and would be a good addition to party ranks at Holyrood.

He has every right to stand in 2026 and would walk into the Cabinet if John Swinney wins the election. But holding on to his MP’s job at the same time would be a terrible decision. He should quit Westminster if he gets elected to Holyrood.

Politicians are increasingly unpopular with voters who see them as self-serving and selfish. Double jobbing, like taking freebies from donors, is a practice that can only undermine trust in politics.

Legislation going through Holyrood is looking at tidying up elections to the Scottish Parliament. One amendment that must be considered is a block on MPs from serving long-term in ­Edinburgh and Westminster. This change would help restore trust in politics and take away the whiff of self-serving careerism around double jobbing.

Shock behaviour

Yet again we report on an energy company pocketing enormous profits while Scots are punished
with soaring fuel bills.

This time, it’s Scottish energy giant SSE raking in profits of £4million a day over the last six months. At a time when energy bills are up 10 per cent, a third are languishing in fuel poverty, hundreds of thousands of pensioners are losing their Winter Fuel Payment and temperatures are dropping, this really rankles.

People in 21st-century Scotland should not be forced to choose between heating and eating but it happens every winter now as a routine for millions, while companies profiting off this ongoing cost-of-living crisis pocket billions.

SSE should be commended for its efforts to transition from fossil fuels to renewables and its investment in clean power infrastructure. But their £714million earnings since April while ordinary people worry about the next bills hike is yet further proof that Britain’s energy system is broken.

Hopefully Labour’s GB Energy proposal will see bills coming down. If the plan fails Labour will have a lot of angry power customers to answer to.

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