Linlithgow MSP and Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop is set to retire at the 2026 Scottish Parliamentary Elections.

After campaigning for the reconvening of the Scottish Parliament, Fiona was first elected in 1999 as MSP for the Lothians region.

She has been returned as the MSP for Linlithgow since 2011 and secured the third highest constituency vote in Scotland in 2021.

Fiona has been invited to serve at Scottish Government Cabinet level by each of the SNPs four First Ministers since 2007 and has served as a Government Minister for 16 out of the last 18 years.

Linlithgow MSP Fiona Hyslop announced on Wednesday that she will retire at the 2026 Scottish Parliamentary Elections.

placeholder image — Linlithgow MSP Fiona Hyslop announced on Wednesday that she will retire at the 2026 Scottish Parliamentary Elections.

Announcing her retirement on Wednesday, she said: “It has been an honour to serve the people of West Lothian as an SNP MSP since the reconvening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

“I was first elected as a Regional Lothian List MSP in 1999, and then from 2011 have served as the Constituency MSP.

“It has truly been a privilege to represent the strong, resilient towns, villages and communities that make up this seat and I am very proud of the drive and achievements across the county.

“However, after much careful thought and consideration, I have decided that the time is right for me to retire, which means that I will not be seeking re-election in the forthcoming 2026 election to the Scottish Parliament.”

There have been many campaigns Fiona has been involved in during her many years service.

She helped deliver the Blackridge and Armadale train stations and is currently campaigning for a station in Winchburgh.

The MSP also helped save the A&E and Children’s Ward at St John’s Hospital, secured heritage funding for the Bathgate Regal Theatre and Linlithgow’s St Michael’s Spire, removed the painful PFI payments from West Lothian College, secured Screen Scotland support for the new film studios at the Pyramids in Bathgate, and ensured a taskforce was set up to help the Vion Hall workers in Broxburn.

There are many victories she has also helped secure more widely in her time with the Scottish Government.

She was the Cabinet Secretary who helped abolish Labour’s back-end universtiy tuition fees for Scottish students, piloted free school meals for P1 to P3s, championed Scotland all over the world, establishing Scotland’s international network in Dublin, Paris, Ottawa and Berlin and later returning to Government to take on the Transport brief where she has driven forward delivery on the A9 dualling programme and continued the free delivery of bus travel for under-22 year olds.

Fiona added: “I’d also like to thank the wonderful businesses, organisations and charities across West Lothian that I have had the pleasure of working with over the years.

“I will continue in my role for more than a year and I look forward to continuing to work with and for the people of West Lothian.

“I’ve been an activist for the SNP and Independence most of my life and I’ll continue to be an activist. There is still a great deal of work to be done to elect an SNP Government in 2026, and I remain passionate about securing a better future for Scotland as an Independent nation.”