JOHN Park, one of Scottish Labour's most high-profile MSPs, has quit his Holyrood seat.
The Mid Scotland and Fife MSP is stepping down to take up a UK-wide role with the steelworkers union Community. He will leave Holyrood on Friday.
As a regional, rather than constituency, MSP he will automatically be replaced by the Labour candidate immediately beneath him on the selection list, Jayne Baxter.
In a statement Mr Park, 39, said serving as an MSP had been an "enormous privilege" and paid tribute to Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont.
But the Rosyth dockyard workers and STUC official added: "I've tried to use my time in politics to make sure the issues important to working people – jobs, apprenticeships and a living wage – are centre-stage.
"Now, as workers are under attack like never before, I am returning to my union roots to fight at the coal face."
He will be head of strategy and policy for Community, working in London and across the UK.
Mr Park was quickly marked out as one of Labour's rising stars and tipped as a possible future Scottish party leader after entering parliament in 2007.
However, as the party's Holyrood election co-ordinator last year, he accepted a share of the blame for Labour's crushing defeat to the SNP after entering the race ahead in the polls.
He achieved notoriety four years ago when he was sent off in an MSPs versus sports journalists football match for a wild tackle on the BBC's Chick Young. The "friendly" game ended in a brawl, according to reports.
Mr Park is recently divorced, although he insisted personal reasons were not behind his decision to quit parliament.
Ms Lamont said: "John will be a loss to the Scottish Parliament but I understand his reasons for stepping down and I know he will continue to play a significant role in the Labour movement."
The SNP and Greens also paid generous tributes.
New MSP Ms Baxter lives in Kelty, Fife, and worked in local government before being elected a councillor in May. She is also a former constituency aide to Gordon Brown. Ms Baxter has two grown-up sons and three grandchildren.
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