Alison Johnstone to stand down as Holyrood presiding officer
The departure of the 59-year-old, who sparked controversy in recent weeks after a series of rows with Douglas Ross, the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, will raise hopes among her critics that her successor will drive more radical reforms of Holyrood.
While Johnstone's tenure has been seen as steady, many at Holyrood believe the parliament would benefit from Westminster-style reforms which would weaken the control of party leaders and whips over committee memberships and encourage independence among backbenchers.
The King listens as Johnstone speaks during the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Scottish parliament in 2024
EFF J MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES
Meanwhile, there has been concern about the quality of debates, with some MSPs in the habit of reading out pre-written speeches rather than engaging in genuine dialogue with opponents.
Speaking to The Times, Johnstone said: ' I was elected in 2011 and it was always my intention that this would be my last term in Holyrood.
'I came from a wholly non-political background and got involved in a campaign to save a school playing field.' She said, 'I was not in a political party but campaigned for the creation of a Scottish parliament and I then worked as an assistant for Robin Harper, the first-ever Green parliamentarian in the UK elected to the first-ever Scottish parliament.'
Johnstone is the second female and the first Green party member to hold the presiding officer position, which comes with a £126,452 salary.
Nicola Sturgeon, the former first minister, left; Johnstone and Lord Offord of Garvel during a Remembrance Sunday service and parade in Edinburgh in 2022
JANE BARLOW/PA
She took over the reins of Holyrood at a challenging time during the Covid pandemic, a period without precedent, and even her opponents said she did a good job steering its proceedings through uncharted waters.
More recently she was involved in a series of rows with Ross who accused her of failing to 'act in a neutral manner ' after she suspended him from the Holyrood chamber.
Johnstone was elected as a Green MSP in 2011, and before that was as an Edinburgh Green councillor for Morningside in 2007.
She is a qualified athletics coach and former board member of Scottish Athletics, previously holding the East of Scotland records in the 800 metre and 1,500-metre events.
A quarter of the present crop of 129 MSPs have announced their departures including a handful of MSPs who have been in Holyrood since its creation in 1999.
This week Sarah Boyack, the veteran MSP, announced she was leaving next year, leaving Jackie Baillie as the only Labour MSP with ministerial experience on Holyrood's benches.
Baillie is also the only Labour MSP who was elected in 1999 who has been in the Scottish parliament continuously since the outset and will stand again next year.
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