SNP veteran Annabelle Ewing announced on 2 May that she would not be seeking renomination to represent Cowdenbeath, Fife in the May 2026 Scottish Parliamentary elections.
Her decision joins a host of MSPs across various political parties that have announced their intentions to step down. This includes former first minster Humza Yousaf and SNP’s Gordon MacDonald.
Ms Ewing has been an important and notable figure in Scottish politics as “one of Holyrood’s deputy presiding officers” and the first to be elected to represent the Mid Scotland and Fife Region in 2011. Of note are her significant contributions to tackling intimidation and vitriolic abuse in public life in 2019.
Annabelle Ewing can be seen to follow the footsteps of her late mother, Winnie Ewing, who was a salient figure in the SNP.
Annabelle Ewing describes her mother as a “trailblazer for women”, being “the SNP’s first female MP” after her nomination to Westminster in 1967. She proceeded to be the President of the SNP “from 1987 to 2005”.
It is undoubtable that the Ewing family have left a historical legacy and a profound mark in Westminster and, particularly, on Scottish politics.
“Annabelle Ewing (26487952094)” by Scottish Government is licensed under CC BY 2.0.