Highlands MSP Edward Mountain to stand down at next Holyrood election
Scottish Conservative MSP Edward Mountain has announced he will not be standing for re-election at Holyrood next year.
The Highlands and Islands MSP, who has represented the area since 2016, informed the party today that he will not be seeking nomination ahead of the next Scottish Parliament vote.
In a letter to leader Russell Findlay, Mr Mountain (63) said being an MSP had been a ‘true honour’ and that he would ‘serve faithfully’ until the end of the current term.
However, he also lamented the state of Scottish politics, saying party political disputes and constitutional arguments are ‘holding Scotland back’.
He states in his correspondence: “I have had the true honour to be in the Scottish Parliament for nearly nine years. It has been a huge privilege serving people across the Highlands and Islands.
“There have been many challenges and I have done my best to remain true to my beliefs and political values.
“Sadly, in this Parliament I have found that all too often many good ideas are discounted and shelved by those more interested in promoting the political differences and arguments for independence.
“The result is that I constantly see good ideas that could and would benefit Scotland being thwarted.
“This is not only self-serving but also holding Scotland back.
“The worst of it is that it does little to help the many people that look to the Parliament to make the real changes that would make their lives better.”
Mr Mountain is convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee and was Convener of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee from 2016 to 2021.
Prior to politics, he had a 12-year military career, worked as a chartered surveyor and runs a farm in the region.
