Ex-minister Michael Matheson to step down from Holyrood next year

Former health secretary Michael Matheson has confirmed he will stand down as an MSP at the Holyrood election next year.

The Falkirk West SNP representative is one of the original intake having been elected in 1999.

Since then he has served in a number of government roles including justice secretary and transport secretary.

Last year he was handed the longest ever ban from the Scottish Parliament after breaking expenses rules in a row over an £11,000 data roaming bill.

Matheson was barred for 27 sitting days after he racked up the bill on his parliamentary iPad during a family trip to Morocco in late 2022.

When details of the bill were first made public, the then health secretary said the device had only been used for parliamentary work.

But Matheson subsequently admitted that his sons had used the device as a data hotspot so they could watch football.

He later paid back the bill in full and apologised.

In a statement posted on social media on Sunday, Matheson said he looked forward to seeking new challenges outside of frontline politics.

He joins a group of 26 MSPs, including former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, who have now announced they will not seek re-election next year.