Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine says she won’t stand for re-election amid ‘tension and division’
Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine has announced she will stand down at the next election after an attempt to deselect her from within her local party.
The Liberal Democrat MP has represented Edinburgh West for nine years and secured one of the biggest majorities in Scotland, of 16,470, at the General Election in 2024.
The 65-year-old former journalist has been praised for her work on issues including supporting survivors of domestic abuse, childhood bereavement and Ukrainian refugees.
However, she has failed to win a reselection vote staged by her constituency party executive, and as a result has announced her intention to stand down at the next election.
Allies claim she is the victim of internal party politics and being pushed out in favour of an ally of fellow city Lib Dem and Scottish party leader Alex Cole-Hamilton.
It’s not a happy Lib Dem family, then? Jardine and Cole-Hamilton are close geographically and politically, having represented the west of the capital together - her as MP and he as MSP - since 2017. However, tensions have been reported in their relationship, since at least 2019, when Cole-Hamilton was said to be trying to curb her leadership ambitions. Allegations about her behaviour were made at that time by a former party staffer but were not taken forward by the party.
Did she have a choice? Yes, at least to some degree. Jardine had the right to take the issue to a vote of the full local party membership. She has said she will not do that, to avoid further “tension and division”.
Jardine pointedly acknowledges “the decision by some of the local party” (our italics) and described the situation as “hurtful”, adding she wasn’t forcing a wider vote on her future as didn’t “wish to expose anyone to more tension and division”.
‘Too old’: She told The Herald she had been told she was too old to stand again despite being close in age to First Minister John Swinney and former PM Keir Starmer, and six years younger than Scottish Lib Dem MP Jamie Stone. She said: “There were opinions that emerged about my age and I found it quite sexist.”
Sacked and backed: Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey is understood to have been supportive of Jardine in recent weeks, despite sacking her as the party’s equalities spokesperson for defying the party whip. She voted against a Conservative amendment last year calling for a review of access to benefits for foreign nationals and those with mental health issues. He praised her warmly at the weekend, describing her as “a fantastic champion for Liberalism, Scotland and the people of Edinburgh” and praising her work on the Domestic Abuse Act.
Alex Cole-Hamilton has also publicly praised Jardine her saying “she has been excellent to work alongside” and saying her work “will have a long legacy”.
What happens next? Jardine has made clear she intends to serve as MSP until the next election “with the care I have always sought to bring over the last nine years”, while Davey said “I know there is a lot more to come (from Jardine) in this parliament.” With speculation about the possibility of a snap election, the local party will need to consider their choice for Jardine’s successor. That’s a decision in which she, as a senior local member, will play a part.
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
GAMES-MAKER FACES CLOSURE: A video game studio established by a former Grand Theft Auto developer is facing closure after its debut game flopped. Leith-based Build a Rocket Boy, which launched MindsEye last summer to a series of bad reviews and player complaints, has now gone into administration.
CIRCUS TIME: There was no Speigeltent in St Andrew Square this summer, but there will be one in Bristo Square this winter. Circus stars La Clique will stage a seven-week residence as part of Edinburgh’s Winter Festival line-up, as it branches out into the Old Town.
SNP POLLS CHEER: The SNP can take some heart from the predictions for Edinburgh in the latest YouGov ‘super-poll’ for Sky News which questioned more than 16,000 people across the UK on their Westminster voting intentions. It’s modelling suggests the party is on course to retake the Edinburgh East and Musselburgh seat from Labour’s Chris Murray and puts them neck-in-neck with Labour’s Scott Arthur in Edinburgh South-West and Tracy Gilbert in Edinburgh North and Leith. Labour and the Lib Dems are comfortably ahead in Edinburgh South and Edinburgh West respectively. The findings are similar to those of a Survation super-poll earlier in the month, although that put the SNP ahead in Edinburgh South-West and Edinburgh North and Leith. Both polls are based on extrapolating national results on to local seats, rather than constituency by constituency polling.
UNI STRIKES: Around 3000 University of Edinburgh staff start five weeks of strike action today in protest at the continuing threat of compulsory redundancies as it tries to cut £140 million from its annual budget.
Course cuts controversy: That comes as the unions and student representatives accuse the university of “cultural vandalism” over plans to close more than 90 degree programmes, with Scottish and Celtic studies and joint honours language courses among the hardest hit. Critics say the university is promoting generalist degrees ahead of specialist ones, to the cost of Scottish students and their interests.
‘Still a leader’: Professor Alex Thomson, head of the School of Literatures Languages and Cultures, which has suffered around half of the cuts, has defended the move, pointing out the university remains “a leading provider of modern languages and of Celtic and Scottish studies in the UK - this will not change”. The university is consolidating courses with very low enrolments (around a fifth of those being axed have zero students this year) and will continue to offer the subjects as part of other degree programmes, he said.
CANNABIS FARMS: A tenement flat being used as a cannabis farm on South Clerk Street was among the properties raided in one of Police Scotland’s biggest operations against organised crime. About 300 officers took part in simultaneous early-morning raids across the country, leading to the arrest of 36 people and the discovery of 14 cannabis-growing operations. Police Scotland say they were targeting a Vietnamese crime group involved in “poly-criminality,” including human trafficking, drug production, fraud, money laundering and organised immigration crime.
FAIRTRADE CAPITAL: Edinburgh has been reaffirmed as a Fairtrade City by the Fairtrade Foundation – a recognition the Capital first achieved in 2004 – for the city’s ongoing dedication to promoting Fairtrade and increasing the use of licensed products carrying the Fairtrade Mark and the role our businesses, communities, and residents play in creating a more equitable global trade system.
MOTORBIKER KILLED: A motorcyclist has died after crashing on Seafield Road seconds after failing to stop for police. The 40-year-old shortly was killed after colliding with another vehicle just after 6.30pm last Wednesday.
DRONES CATCH: Heriot-Watt researchers are to run an underwater drone trial on Orkney which will test the technology in finding and recovering lost fishing gear in the waters around the islands. The University and Orkney Fisheries Association have secured European Horizon funding for the initiative, which will tackle both the financial cost and environmental impact of lost fishing gear.
FIRE-RAISING GANG: Police are linking a fire-raising attack in East Lothian to another carried out in Edinburgh on the same day. Pictures of three men have been released in the hunt for those responsible for the attacks on 21 December last year on Buxley Road, near Tranent.
Pic of the week
THE BUSINESS
Smartphone security being improved in Edinburgh
An Edinburgh-based mobile cybersecurity firm and one of the capital’s leading universities are teaming up to make our smartphones more secure.
Edinburgh Napier University and Approov Ltd have agreed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership. Over the course of 30 months, they will work together to create innovative defence mechanisms and a test bed.
It builds on Edinburgh Napier’s strong record in cyber security and digital trust technology, which has seen the university recognised by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education, as well as spinning our several successful cybersecurity companies
Jae Hossell, Approov Chief Technology Officer, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Edinburgh Napier University for this Knowledge Transfer Partnership.
“By combining our industry expertise with their world-class cybersecurity researchers, we are creating a unique environment to stress-test our software.This ensures Approov continues to deliver the highest standard of mobile security to our customers worldwide.”
SUNSHINE FUNDING: Edinburgh-based SolarSub Ltd, which specialises in developing passive cooling solutions for photovoltaic modules, has completed a £1.34 million funding round to accelerate the development and commercialisation of its technology.
FOOD AWARD HEAVEN: Five food and drink businesses from Edinburgh have won six awards – including the most prestigious accolade Product of the Year - at the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards 2026: Edgefield Craft Butchers, Dry Aged Prime Rib from Native Scotch Cattle (Scotch Brand Product of the Year, and Product of the Year); Woven Whisky Makers, Woven WXC Coffee Infused Whisky (Distilling Product of the Year (Dark Spirits); east PIZZAS, Topped Spicy Pizza (Grocery Product of the Year); Bon Accord Soft Drinks, Rhubarb Soda (Healthy or Free From Product of the Year); and Howies Restaurants (Best for Scottish (Independent Business of the Year).
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
MIDDLE AGED KICKS: The magnificent Undertones are celebrating their 50th anniversary with a tour that comes to Edinburgh Corn Exchange on Saturday. There’s no Fergal Sharkey, but the rest of the line-up is classic, and the support comes from Fife’s finest, The Skids.
LEGACY LAST CHANCE: The extraordinary depth and quality of the City Arts Centre’s collection is brilliantly laid out in the Jean F Watson: An artistic legacy exhibition. This weekend is your last chance to see the collection which features many rarely seen works inspired by the capital.
PALM HOUSES: The Botanics Palm Houses reopen for public tours from Friday. You need to book in advance to see the results of the beautiful restoration of one of the city’s great treasures.
QUICK BITES
COCKTAILS FOR TWO: Edinburgh Cocktail Week, 10 days of cocktails, special offers and special events starts on Friday. If you need reminded just how good Edinburgh is at cocktails, then Cat Thomson’s long read Anyone for a Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers? is a neat reminder.
TAPA CLOSURE: Popular tapas restaurant Tapa is to close on Saturday. Based at Shore Place in Leith, the owners have said that the decision has been prompted by a combination of health issues and difficult trading conditions.
IN A WHIRL: A new addition to Edinburgh’s hospitality scene, Whirlybird, has gained prestigious support after being added to the influential Michelin guide. The Victoria Street venue was opened in May this year as a modern all-day tavern.