The former Stirling MP who lost to Labour in the summer general election is eyeing a possible move to the Scottish Parliament in 2026.
Alyn Smith told The Courier he is keeping options open by lodging his official nomination papers with the SNP.
He has taken on consultancy work since losing the Stirling and Strathallan contest in July and has not made a final decision on standing for Holyrood – or in which area – if selected by party members.
Mr Smith said: “My papers are in. Not doing it would have ruled myself out, but I’ve not gone further than that.”
The overlapping Scottish Parliament seat is held by Evelyn Tweed for the SNP.
The party’s heavy loss in the Westminster election means competition for nominations to Holyrood in spring 2026 is likely to be widespread.
Westminster group leader Stephen Flynn dominated the headlines in the past week for his decision to announce publicly that he wants to stand in Aberdeen – but also stay in his Westminster constituency.
Mr Flynn’s plan to “double job” has angered some in the party, including some furious MSPs who fear they might not get back if challenged.
Arbroath and Broughty Ferry SNP MP Stephen Gethins has also put his name forward for Holyrood, as revealed in The Courier, but made no public statement on where he would stand or if he’d stay at Westminster.
Alyn Smith’s election history
Mr Smith was elected for the SNP in Stirling in 2019 but lost in the Labour resurgence which sent Sir Keir Starmer into power this summer.
Before Westminster, Mr Smith was a long serving member of the European Parliament, first elected in 2004.
That came to an end because of Brexit.
His loss to Labour in the general election was considered a shock, given his previous majority of more than 9,000 votes. Chris Kane won with 33% of the vote share in July, slightly ahead of Mr Smith’s 31%.
Since the election, Mr Smith – a qualified corporate solicitor – has taken on work as a senior European expert with Atland Consulting, working across the Western Balkans and Central Asia.
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