Fife MSPs confirm they will stand at the 2026 Scottish elections

Jenny Gilruth and Shirley-Anne Somerville will bid to retain their seats when voters go to the polls next summer.

Ms Gilruth, MSP for Glenrothes, confirmed her position in her weekly column in the Glenrothes Gazette. It comes after she was at the by-election count with saw Lynda Holton comfortably hold the Glenrothes Central and Thornton ward on Fife Council.

She said: “A sense of positivity is firmly with the SNP ahead of the next by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse in June, and for the upcoming Scottish Parliamentary elections in 2026. I am delighted to announce I will be standing again as the SNP candidate for Mid Fife and Glenrothes.”

Ms GIlruth was first elected in 2016 and has held the key posts of transport and education in the Scottish Government.

Shirley-Anne Somerville has also been selected for the Dunfermline seat which she also has held since 2016.

The Kirkcaldy-born politician has held a number of key posts in the Scottish Government including Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science from 2016 to 2018, before being appointed to the Scottish Cabinet as Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People in 2018 before becoming Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

She said: "I am delighted and hugely grateful that local SNP members have asked me to stand for re-election in Dunfermline constituency next year. It has been a privilege to represent Dunfermline and West Fife in the Scottish Parliament since 2016 and I would love the chance to continue in my role. As a party, we are determined to keep working for what is best for Scotland.

"We want to help people through the ongoing cost of living pressures, we have a clear and credible plan to renew and strengthen our NHS, and in John Swinney we have a serious leader who is ready to guide Scotland through these challenging times of global uncertainty.

"Since coming into government in 2007, we have delivered real progress for Scotland. From protecting free tuition, keeping prescriptions free, to creating the Scottish Child Payment and delivering record investment in our NHS, we have achieved so much.

"It is vital that we defend and build on that progress, particularly as Scotland continues to be treated as an afterthought by Westminster."