Dundee-born MP Stephen Flynn says Mhairi Black was right to describe Westminster as toxic, claiming she faced attack from the “dregs of society”.
He told The News Agents podcast he was “conflicted” over Ms Black’s exit from parliament at next year’s election, describing her as a “rock star”.
But on a personal level, Mr Flynn, leader of the SNP Westminster group, said he was “really happy” for the MP, who is currently his deputy.
He said: “I’m actually really happy for her because she’s been through a lot and I want the people that I like and know to be happy in life.
“I genuinely think she’s going to be a happier person not being in Westminster. And that’s the most important thing for me.
“When we’re all kind of talking about this, I think it’s important to reflect on the fact that she’s just a lovely person. And I’m just fortunate enough to have spent a lot of time with her.”
Mr Flynn also said he Mhairi Black’s assessment of Westminster as “toxic” resonates with him.
He added: “Westminster is really hard to describe to people who don’t work in that environment. It’s unlike anything I could possibly imagine.
“I often say that I’d love to pick up all the people of Scotland and get them one by one to spend a week in Westminster, to realise quite how dysfunctional the place is, and the nature of everything that happens there is just absurd.”
But he added that the situation was worse for Ms Black, who he says is attacked by a “cohort of the dregs of society” no matter what she says.
Asked if he wants to continue working in the House of Commons, Mr Flynn – who was first elected in 2019 – said he wants to continue driving home the “journey to independence”.
‘We’ve got a challenge on our hands’
He told the podcast: “We’ve got a big challenge on our hands. There’s been well documented issues within the party.
“And you know, where there is a challenge, there’s an opportunity, and I see an opportunity for us to really drive home that journey to independence.
“What attracts me to that is being the person who walks past the statues outside the chamber as SNP MPs leave, then depart Westminster for good. That’s a big motivating factor for me.”
The full interview airs on Friday evening on The News Agents podcast.
