John Swinney 'sorry' Fergus Ewing will not run as SNP MSP in 2026

First Minister John Swinney has said he is "sorry" that veteran MSP Fergus Ewing will not stand for the SNP in next May's Holyrood elections.

Mr Swinney's comments came as Mr Ewing - son of nationalist trailblazer Winnie Ewing - suggested he could possibly stand in the elections as an independent candidate.

Mr Ewing, who previously served as rural economy secretary in the Scottish Government, is one a dwindling group of MSPs to have been at Holyrood since 1999.

The Inverness and Nairn MSP said the SNP Government's failure to dual the "vital" A9 and A96 roads was the chief reason he was not putting himself forward for nomination again.

And he spoke of his "great sadness that, after 26 years and six successful election campaigns" he would not be standing again for the SNP.

Mr Ewing added: "Amongst several reasons, the principal one is that I am afraid that I simply cannot defend the record of the SNP Government to fail to deliver on its long-standing pledges to dual the A9 and A96 - both so vital for my constituency.

"I have stood in every election on these pledges, and so, as a matter of honour, I simply cannot defend the lack of delivery."

He added that "unless substantial and significant progress" is made on dualling the two roads before March 2026, he "may consider standing (as an) independent candidate", adding it was "with great regret that I have concluded I simply cannot defend my party's indefensible lack of action".

Since leaving government, Mr Ewing has been a vocal critic of SNP ministers, criticising them on a range of issues, including the decision to bring the Greens into the Scottish Government in the Bute House Agreement, which collapsed last year.

Hitting out at his party, Mr Ewing said: "Sadly, the SNP just is no longer the party for all of Scotland, as it has been for most of my 50 years as a member - the national party.

"Instead, it has chosen over the past four years to self-destruct, with its damaging deal with the Greens, its obsession over gender recognition, the ill-fated deposit return scheme and, by turning its back on our hard-working oil and gas workers, our thousands of accommodation providers, tourism enterprises, our food and drink producers, farmers, keepers and land managers, and our fishermen and coastal communities."

Speaking out, he insisted that his constituents "do not want a nest of fearties in their Parliament".

Instead, Mr Ewing said voters "want a strong independent voice", saying that this was "precisely what I have sought to provide for them".

Reacting to the announcement, Mr Swinney said he was "sorry Fergus Ewing has decided not to stand for the SNP at the next election".

The SNP leader praised the veteran politician for being a "faithful servant of his constituents" and added he has "contributed much" to both the Parliament and the Scottish Government.

The SNP leader, who commented on the social media platform X, added: "I said I would be the First Minister for all of Scotland and that is what I will do."

Mr Ewing's sister, Annabelle, who is also an SNP MSP and a deputy presiding officer at Holyrood, has already announced she will not be running for election next year.