SNP MSP Gail Ross will step down at the Holyrood election having served only a single term. 

The Caithness, Sutherland and Ross MSP said her reason for leaving was her family. It will make her the fourth SNP MSP to announce their exit in 2021. 

She said the decision has been reached due to "the demands of travelling to Edinburgh and being away from home for sometimes five days a week, every week".

A former Highland councillor who came to Holyrood in 2016, she was frustrated by the demands of travelling to Edinburgh, saying that MSPs attending committees via video link "has to be considered". 

Bruce Crawford in Stirling, James Dornan in Glasgow Cathcart, and Richard Lyle in Uddingston and Bellshill are also leaving next year.

Ross said: “I want to be able to spend more time with my family, to watch my son grow up and to be more involved in local issues, things I cannot presently do.

“The sheer size of the area I represent also means that I am having difficulty in reaching every part of the constituency on a regular basis and I am not able to represent my constituents in the way they deserve and rightly expect.

“I recently asked the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee to ask if there is any possibility that members could video in to meetings and remote vote.

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“If we are to encourage into politics more young people with families who live far away from Edinburgh, this has to be considered.

“It has not been an easy decision to make and I wish to sincerely thank everyone who has supported me in my journey through council and then parliament.

“It has been a huge privilege to represent the place where I grew up and although the job has sometimes been very challenging, these years have been some of the most rewarding of my professional career.

“My drive for independence is stronger than ever and I will continue work to make sure that all families can grow and prosper in an independent Scotland.”