Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Senior Conservative MSPs to stand down

Alex Ferusson will step down as The Galloway and West Dumfries MSP .
Alex Ferusson will step down as The Galloway and West Dumfries MSP .

Long-serving Conservative MSPs Alex Fergusson and Nanette Milne have announced they will stand down at the Holyrood election next year.

Mr Fergusson, a former Presiding Officer, has been a member of the Scottish Parliament since it was established in 1999.

The Galloway and West Dumfries MSP said: “Someone once said that a week is a long time in politics, but I have to say that the last 17 years have simply flown by.

“I feel incredibly privileged to have been elected as a South of Scotland MSP in 1999, and then to have been returned as the constituency MSP in the three elections since, and I will never forget the honour of being elected by my fellow MSPs to the position of the Parliament’s Presiding Officer in 2007.”

He added: “Representing this wonderful part of Scotland during the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and through its first 17 years is a role that I have loved, and I will miss it. But I will be 67 when next year’s election takes place, and it is time for me to move on.

“Until Parliament is dissolved at the end of March, I will continue to try to uphold the best interests of my constituents in Galloway and West Dumfries, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for giving me the honour of doing so.”

Ms Milne was first elected in 2003, having joined the Conservatives in 1974.

She is a member for the North East, and the party’s public health spokesperson.

She said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my fellow North East citizens in the Scottish Parliament.

“As an MSP over the last 12 years, I am most proud of my behind-the-scenes work which I have undertaken as an MSP on behalf of my constituents.

“As the Scottish Conservative spokeswoman on public health and a member of the Parliament’s health and sport committee, I have spent a significant part of my time focused on health issues, which as a former medic I have found very rewarding.

“Looking to the future and the next Scottish Parliament, it is vital that Scotland has a strong opposition to the SNP and that other political voices are heard in the Scottish Parliament.

“I have been concerned for some time that central belt bias is emerging as dominant within Holyrood, and I fear the Scottish Parliament is rapidly becoming remote from our local issues and concerns.

“I would like to thank all those who have helped me over the years during my time as an MSP.

“It is my love for the north east and its people that has driven me as an MSP and as I now look towards my retirement I can look forward to having time to do the many other things I enjoy.”