Stephen Flynn will replace Ian Blackford after being elected as the new leader of the Scottish National Party at Westminster.
The Aberdeen South MP defeated Alison Thewliss for the top job at the party’s annual meeting on Tuesday and will face Rishi Sunak at Prime Minister’s Questions less than 24 hours later.
Mr Flynn’s deputy will be Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP Mhairi Black, who takes over from Kirsten Oswald.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon described the pair as a “formidable team”.
The contest was called after Ian Blackford’s resignation last week, with the former leader moving into a role as the SNP’s ambassador to business.
"It’s an honour to be elected to lead the SNP’s strong and talented team of MPs during such a crucial period for Scotland," Mr Flynn said on Tuesday.
“Under my leadership, SNP MPs will be relentlessly focused on standing up for Scotland’s interests and our democratic right to decide our future in an independence referendum.
“Families across Scotland are paying a devastating price under Westminster control, with Brexit, austerity cuts and the Tory cost-of- living crisis hammering household budgets.
“SNP MPs will work harder than ever to hold the Tory government to account – and make the case that independence is the essential route to safety, fairness and prosperity for Scotland.”
Scottish independence: 12 issues still to be addressed - in pictures
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The Queen: The SNP has said it wants the new Scotland to be a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its sovereign — much like Australia or Canada — and has said it would join the Commonwealth. The queen herself is staying neutral in the debate. Pictured here is Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their three children in Balmoral on September 8, 1960. -
Energy resources: The North Sea oilfields have for decades been the Scottish nationalists most powerful weapon. They would probably be divided up geographically if Scotland were to become independent. Eighty-five per cent of known reserves would fall under Scottish territory and the sector would make up around 15 per cent of the new Scotland’s economy. The ‘Yes’ campaign says the oil revenues would bring Scotland prosperity similar to Norway. The ‘No’ parties, backed by several senior oil company executives say they are painting an overly optimistic picture. Andy Buchanan/Getty Images -
Defence: The UK’s nuclear deterrent is based at Faslane near Glasgow. The Scottish nationalists have campaigned for years to have the four submarines carrying the nuclear missiles removed from Scotland. They say they would write into Scotland’s new constitution a ban on nuclear weapons and plans to have them removed by 2020. This would form a key part of negotiations if there were ‘Yes’ victory. AP Photo -
Debt: If Scotland votes to break away it would probably need to take with it some of the UK’s debt — which is forecast to hit £1.5 trillion (Dh8.9 trillion) by 2016/17. The nationalists say the amount that Scotland takes on should reflect its contributions over the years to Britain’s public finances which include huge tax revenues from North Sea oil. The British government would prefer a method based on the size of Scotland’s population. Alex Salmond has, however, threatened that an independent Scotland would not take on any of the debt if it is not allowed to share the pound in a formal currency union. The UK government has reassured markets, saying that if this were to happen it would stand behind all UK debt. Stefan Wermuth/Reuters -
Scottish MPs: If Scotland becomes independent, the 59 Scottish MPs sitting in parliament would lose their seats. The effect on politics south of the border would be substantial. The opposition Labour party has traditionally drawn strong support from north of the border. Of the 59 Scottish seats, 41 are currently held by Labour MPs, including the former prime minister Gordon Brown. Losing these seats would leave the Conservative Party, the main partner in the current ruling coalition, with a 21 seat majority, based on the 2010 election results. Andy Rain/EPA -
EU, Nato and the UN: The SNP says it believes an independent Scotland would negotiate its entry into the European Union quickly, given it is has long observed EU rules as part of the UK. Top officials from the EU have suggested the process will not be so straightforward. Alex Salmond says that Scotland also wants to remain in the United Nations and Nato. Opponents to independence fear that the UK could endanger its place in the G7 group of wealthy industrialised nations and its seat on the United Nations Security Council. Andy Buchanan/AFP Photo -
Citizenship: The Scottish government proposes that people born in Scotland or British citizens who are “habitually resident” at the date of independence should automatically become citizens. People with a Scottish parent would be able to request citizenship and other nationals can apply for naturalised citizenship. The nationalists note that British citizenship laws allow for dual citizenship but the UK has not said whether that will happen automatically or not. Lesley Martin/AFP Photo -
Constitution: The Scottish government wants a convention bringing together businesses, civil society and trade unions to come up with a written constitution along European lines, something that Britain lacks. It has said this should include a constitutional ban on nuclear weapons being based in Scotland and a guarantee that its health service will continue to be publicly owned, free and available to everyone. Andrew Milligan/AP Photo -
Border: The pro-independence camp have said the existing border would remain only on paper but the issue is a complex one as Scotland’s plan to ease immigration rules might prompt the rest of Britain to set up barriers and checks. The SNP also says that no passports should be required for visitors from the rest of the UK to Scotland and vice versa — much like the current arrangement with Ireland — although that will depend on whether Scotland is in the European Union. Lesley Martin/AFP Photo -
Universities: Scotland’s education system has always been distinct from that of the rest of the UK with the Scottish parliament already fully in control of policy. But there is a big question mark over what will happen to the students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland who attend Scottish universities. Current rules mean these students from other parts of the UK have to pay tuition fees while Scottish students and students from other parts of the European Union do not. The SNP says this will continue, but if Scotland becomes independent the EU may force it to remove tuition fees on students from other parts of the UK. -
BBC: The Scottish government wants to take the assets and staff from BBC Scotland and create a Scottish Broadcasting Service. The ‘SBS’ would have a partnership agreement so that Scots would still have access to their favourite BBC television shows and radio stations but claims the new broadcaster would better represent the Scottish people. But the Better Together campaign says dividing the BBC Scotland assets away from the rest of the UK would be difficult and lead to a worse service for Scotland. Andy Buchanan/AFP Photo
The new leader also paid tribute to Ms Thewliss, her deputy pick Stuart McDonald and the departing leadership.
Ms Black said she was “delighted to have been elected”.
“Westminster is failing Scotland," she said.
“With the Tories and Labour Party both wedded to Brexit, austerity cuts and democracy denial, it’s clearer than ever that independence is the only way to escape the damage of Westminster control and get Scotland back on the path to prosperity.”
Mr Flynn’s ascendancy to the top job comes in the weeks after reports of a coup attempt against Mr Blackford, which were eventually quashed when he tweeted that he was not seeking the position.
Elected in 2019, the former Aberdeen City councillor succeeded Ross Thomson in his seat after he declined to stand again for Parliament.
Taking to Twitter in the minutes after the result was announced, the First Minister said: “Congratulations to new SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and deputy leader Mhairi Black — a truly formidable team.
“Looking forward to working with them both.”
Scotland cannot hold a second independence referendum - video
Ms Thewliss congratulated the new leadership team, saying: “Congratulations to Stephen Flynn and Mhairi Black, and my thanks to all who have been so lovely and supportive, especially my running mate Stuart McDonald.”
The Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Liberal Democrats said Mr Flynn’s victory over Ms Thewliss, reportedly the preferred candidate of Ms Sturgeon, showed that the SNP leader was losing sway in the party.
