Finance Secretary Shona Robison to stand down as MSP

Finance secretary Shona Robison has announced she will stand down at the next Holyrood election after 27 years as an MSP.

Robison, the MSP for Dundee City East, has held several roles in SNP governments including health secretary and social justice secretary.

She became deputy first minister under Humza Yousaf in 2023, but was replaced by Kate Forbes in John Swinney’s government last year.

Robison said the time was right to “take on some new challenges” and make a different contribution to public life.

She said: “After careful consideration and reflection, I have decided that I will not seek re-election at the Scottish Parliament election next year.

“I am deeply proud of my ministerial contributions and achievements.”

She added: “The best moments over my time at Holyrood have come from representing and supporting my constituents.

“I will forever be grateful to them for giving me the opportunity to serve them.”

Robison has been an MSP for the lifetime of the Scottish Parliament.

Born in Redcar in Yorkshire, she worked in Glasgow City Council’s social work department before being elected to Holyrood in 1999.

Robison became an SNP list member for the north east Scotland region, before winning the Dundee East seat in 2003.

She has held the constituency at every Holyrood election since.

When the SNP first entered government in 2007 Robison was made public health minister.

She next took on a sports brief, overseeing preparations for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

Robison was promoted to cabinet by First Minister Alex Salmond in 2014, in the role now known as social justice secretary.

She was given a further promotion within the year, as health secretary under new first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

She has been a close friend of Sturgeon throughout their political careers, since the pair were part of the SNP youth wing together.

Robison’s tenure as health secretary saw increased government spending and the NHS Scotland workforce hitting a record high – but she faced mounting pressures over NHS performance.

This pressure grew following a series of financial issues at the health board in her own constituency, NHS Tayside.

Robison quit as health secretary in 2018 saying it had been a “very challenging” role.

The period also saw a high-profile split from her partner of 20 years – SNP MP Stewart Hosie.

After three years on the Holyrood backbenches, she returned to cabinet in 2021 as Sturgeon’s social justice secretary.

She oversaw the introduction of the SNP’s controversial Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill – which saw the party’s biggest-ever backbench rebellion since it came to power.

In 2023 Humza Yousaf appointed Robison as finance secretary as well as making her his deputy first minister.

She retained the finance brief under John Swinney in 2024, however the deputy first minister role was given to Kate Forbes.

Robison says she will continue to campaign for and support the SNP alongside her “lifelong goal of delivering independence for Scotland”.