The Edinburgh West MP, Christine Jardine, has announced that she will step away from politics at the next general election.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham denied in an interview with STV this week that there will be an election anytime soon, confirming that the next general election will be in 2029.
Despite that, Ms Jardine said that she feels it would be unfair to the local party that they could be in a situation where they don’t have a candidate, if or when a snap election is called.
Ms Jardine, who won the seat back from the SNP in 2017 and has a majority of 16,470, said that it had been a challenging few weeks and a difficult decision, but that she felt it was the best thing to do for the party.
She said to The Edinburgh Reporter: “I’ve got my staff to think about. I think it’s important that they know what I’m thinking and what the future potentially holds. What I would have hated was to go into a general election in a few years’ time and not have warned them of this.”
She continued: “I have had tremendous support at all times from the Scottish Party, from the federal Party – Ed Davey has been incredibly good this week, and my colleagues at Westminster have all been excellent. The councillors have been supportive. I don’t have any grouse at all with the local party, but sometimes you have to make a decision that you think is in the best interests of everybody – and that’s what I’ve done.”
The former journalist will have been an MP for ten years in 2027, and she said that it is a “fair amount of time to be an MP”, but it is understood that her relationship with Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has become less cordial.
Ms Jardine said she had discussed the matter at length with her team, confirming that meant the staff in her office and her daughter,, as well as the Chair and leader of the council group. She had come to her decision following all of those discussions.
At the last general election the Liberal Democrats won 72 seats with 12.2% of the vote. This is the largest number of Lib Dem MPs since 1923 and it beat the previous best of 2005 when they returned 62 MPs to Westminster. They took over as the third largest party allowing them more privilege in the chamber than the SNP who had previously held the position. Ms Jardine has won two general elections in Edinburgh West.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats will now set up a selection process to find Ms Jardine’s successor.
Christine said: “I have written to my local party to let them know I shall not be standing as the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Edinburgh West at the next election, following the recent decision by some of the local party.
“I have informed them that although I am able to request a ballot of the membership, it is with a heavy heart I have decided not to pursue this. I do not wish to expose anyone to more tension and division.
“I shall continue to represent my constituents with the care I have always sought to bring over the last nine years.
“It has been, and remains, an honour and a privilege to represent this part of the city, and to work with our fantastic communities.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP, said: “I would like to thank Christine for all her hard work as an MP.
“She has been excellent to work alongside, representing the west of Edinburgh together for the past nine years.
“Her work on childhood bereavement, in supporting Ukrainian refugees and in supporting our constituents in the capital means she will have a long legacy too.”
Sir Ed Davey, Liberal Democrats leader, said: “Christine is a fantastic champion for Liberalism, Scotland and the people of Edinburgh.
For me, her work on the Domestic Abuse Act stands out. She has improved things for survivors and children in ways many will never know. I know there’s a lot more to come in this parliament too.”
Ms Jardine lost her front bench role as spokesperson for Scotland and for Women and Equalities when she broke the whip over a welfare vote. She is said to have discovered her fate on social media.
She was one of several LibDem MPs who voted against a Tory amendment on a review of access to benefits for foreign nationals in July 2025. Several MPs and members of the party were furious over the move calling it an over reaction, and there were murmurs at the time that Ed Davey was worried about Christine Jardine challenging him for the leadership – a claim which she strenuously denied. They Work For You said her removal by the party leadership resulted in at least 100 letters of support from party activists demanding her reinstatement.
PHOTO Alan Simpson
