Alison Johnstone to stand down from Holyrood ahead of 2026

She told The Times: "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​.
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'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.​'
She was elected unopposed as presiding officer in May 2021, the second woman to hold the role and the first Scottish Green MSP.
Ms Johnstone was recently involved in a row with Douglas Ross, the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, after she ejected him from the chamber during First Minister's Questions.
Here is the moment Douglas Ross was kicked out of the Chamber today during FMQs @heraldscotland pic.twitter.com/7EGaUgATVp — Hannah Brown (@HannahMargBrown) May 29, 2025
The MSP was warned over heckling before being excluded by the presiding officer.
The former Tory leader accused Ms Johnstone of constitutional bias, suggesting she treats pro-union parties more harshly than those who supported independence in the 2014 referendum.

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