ANGUS Robertson, the leader of the SNP at Westminster, is to run for the party’s deputy leadership, the Sunday Herald can reveal.
The Moray MP yesterday confirmed he was standing to replace Stewart Hosie, who stepped down in disgrace after an affair.
London-born Robertson, 46, is the first heavyweight entrant in the race - the only other candidate so far is Chris McEleny, the SNP group leader on Inverclyde council.
The new depute leader will be expected to play a key role in the preparation and conduct of any second independence referendum, should Nicola Sturgeon decide to call one in light of Brexit.
The contest itself is also likely to reveal how hungry party members are for a fresh ballot.
Robertson, an MP since 2001, told the Sunday Herald: “The SNP has a huge responsibility to protect Scotland in Europe. Since the EU referendum result, many colleagues from Holyrood, Westminster and the SNP grassroots have asked me to run for the deputy leadership.
“It would be an honour to work with Nicola Sturgeon as her deputy and bring together our parliamentarians, councillors and record number of party members for the next big challenge.
“With much work to do to protect our place in Europe we have to promote Scotland, focus on the economy and investment and the key powers to deliver fairness and success in Scotland.
“After nearly a decade's experience as Westminster SNP leader and as campaign director who has helped deliver national SNP election victories, I think I have the range of experience to fulfill this important role."
There had been growing speculation that Robertson would stand after he said last week he was consulting local party members before a final decision.
As the SNP leader in the Commons since 2007 and the architect of its Westminster election triumph, he will be seen as the front-runner for the post.
However Alyn Smith, the MEP who received a standing ovation in Brussels last week for his defence of Scotland’s place in Europe, and Tommy Sheppard, the popular MP for Edinburgh East, are also considering whether to run.
Smith said yesterday: “The party has a huge breadth of talent across local government and the three parliaments. I’m thinking about how I can make the best contribution.”
Sheppard added: “I have been pleased and a little surprised at the number of people who have encouraged me to stand and I’m giving it serious thought.”
Nominations close on August 5 and candidates must get backing from within 20 branches.
The SNP’s 116,000 members will then pick the winner before their conference in October.
Robertson’s relationship with Sturgeon goes back to the 1980s, when both joined the SNP as teenagers.
His high-profile at Westminster, where he has a weekly question to the Prime Minister, would complement hers at Holyrood.
A fluent German speaker, he has a background in European affairs, having worked as a diplomatic correspondent for the BBC World Service and Austrian Broadcasting Corporation.
He is a friend of David McAllister, the Scots-German MEP who is an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the CDU party.
However Robertson failed to convince his own voters of the merits of EU membership.
Moray was the most Eurosceptic area in Scotland, voting to Remain by just 50.1 per cent.
The last deputy contest was in late 2014, when Sturgeon vacated the post to become First Minister after Alex Salmond resigned following defeat in the 2014 referendum.
Hosie, the MP for Dundee East, won against MSPs Keith Brown and Angela Constance.
But Hosie stepped down in May after separating from his wife, health secretary Shona Robison, after being caught in an “SNP love triangle”.
It was reported he was having an affair with freelance journalist Serena Cowdy, who was previously in a relationship with the SNP MP for the Western Isles, Angus Brendan MacNeil.
MacNeil and his wife Jane separated in 2015, after his alleged affair with Cowdy
In his resignation letter to Sturgeon, Hosie apologised for “any hurt and upset I have caused to friends, family and colleagues" and said he would not seek re-election as SNP depute leader at the party conference. He remains the SNP’s economy spokesman at Westminster.
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