AN SNP MP has applied to stand for Holyrood despite potentially putting his staff out of work, something some of his colleagues have refused to do on principle.

Neil Gray is putting himself forward for the SNP candidacy in Airdrie & Shotts after a warning it was something “only MPs who are happy to see their staff jobless” would do. 

The move follows local MSP Alex Neil announcing he will stand down at the 2021 election.

Mr Gray, his party’s work and pensions spokesman, is the first SNP MP to try to move to Holyrood since the party’s ruling body changed the rules to make it had harder to switch. 

If Mr Gray is picked by local members as their candidate, he will have to quit his Westminster seat, which is also called Airdrie & Shotts, putting his staff out of work.

If he was elected to Holyrood next May - and Mr Neil had a solid majority of 6192 over Labour in 2016 - Mr Gray could rehire his staff, however that would depend on the voters.

In his announcement, Mr Gray said of the coming election: "We cannot take anything for granted."

Last month, Mr Gray attacked the UK Government for risking “mass redundancies” by ending its coronavirus furlough scheme in October.

He said: “The Tory government must step up and take the bold action required to prevent unemployment reaching levels not seen since the 1980s.”

Mr Gray told the Herald his decision was fully supported by his staff. 

He said: “This has been a difficult decision and I have consulted my staff, who have been an incredible support to me my entire time in Westminster. 

“They support my decision and have encouraged me to stand.”

When the SNP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) introduced the rule change last month, it was widely seen as an attempt to stop MP Joanna Cherry QC switching to Holyrood.

Ms Cherry, who is close to Alex Salmond, had wanted to stand in Edinburgh Central, putting her in a fight for the candidacy with Nicola Sturgeon’s close ally Angus Robertson.

Given the SNP’s long history of dual mandate parliamentarians sitting in both Westminster and Holyrood, including Alex Salmond, Ms Cherry said the rule change was unreasonable.

Pulling out of the candidate selection, the Edinburgh South West MP said: “It is unprecedented in our party’s history of dual mandates to demand that a parliamentarian make themselves and their constituency staff unemployed in order to be eligible to be a candidate.

"It is particularly unreasonable to demand this in the middle of a pandemic.”

Aberdeen North MP Kirsty Blackman, the former SNP deputy leader at Westminster, also condemned the rule change.

She said: “Asking SNP MPs to do this effectively means that only MPs who are happy to see their staff jobless will be able to stand for Holyrood. 

“This is because their MP staff would no longer have a job either for the interim period or if the MP doesn’t get elected as an MSP.”

Mr Gray, 34, a former assitant to Mr Neil, was first elected as an MP in 2015 and re-elected in 2017 and 2019.

The father-of-four had a majority of 5,201 over Labour at the last general election.

Also standing for the Airdrie & Shotts Holyrood candidacy is Airdrie South councillor Paul Di Mascio.

Mr Gray said: "Alex Neil leaves big shoes to fill, but I have worked closely with him for many years and have had the pleasure of representing the people of Airdrie & Shotts at Westminster for over five years.

"I have used that platform to work day in day out for local people, businesses and charities giving me the local profile and track record to hit the ground running in this crucial Holyrood election campaign.

“Next year’s Holyrood election will be the most important yet for the SNP.

"To win independence we need to win in Airdrie & Shotts and having represented the area I have the profile and experience to help make that happen.

“I will utilise my experience as part of the SNP frontbench team at Westminster in Scotland’s national parliament to help shape a better Scotland and to continue to work for people in Airdrie & Shotts on the issues that matter to them.

“If elected to Holyrood I will continue to campaign for the new Monklands Hospital to stay in Airdrie.

"I have worked with Alex Neil leading that effort and if it wasn’t for our intervention I am certain the hospital would be getting built at Gartcosh.

“This election will be about Scotland’s future and for the SNP to form the next government seats like Airdrie & Shotts will be hard fought.

"We cannot take anything for granted.

"Having contested and won three parliamentary elections here I have the profile and experience to win Airdrie & Shotts for the SNP next year.

"I look forward to making that case.”