Mhairi Black MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, Scotland, UK (Photo Credit: Office of Mhairi Black/Facebook)
PAISLEY, Scotland, UK | During an appearance on a political and current events podcast Tuesday, July 4, openly lesbian Scottish National Party MP Mhairi Black told the host that she is stepping down at the end of her current term saying that the deciding factors were the environment and politics of the House of Commons, Westminster itself in general- labeling it as “unhealthy” and “toxic.”
First elected as the youngest member of parliament in 2015 at age 20, the Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP speaking about her decision said:
“Honestly, because I’m tired is a big part of it. And the thing that makes me tired is Westminster.
“It is one of the most unhealthy workplaces that you could ever be in. It’s a toxic environment. The entire design of the place and how it functions is the opposite of everything that I find comfortable,” she added.
Labeling the seat of the UK government a “poisonous place,” Black added: “Whether that’s because of what folk can get away with in it, or the number of personal motivations – and folk having ulterior motives for things – it’s just not a nice place to be in.”
🚨 BREAKING: @MhairiBlack tells @maitlis she is stepping down as an MP at the next general election.
— The News Agents (@TheNewsAgents) July 4, 2023
She says Westminster is a “toxic workplace” that has taken its toll on her "body and mind".
Coming to @GlobalPlayer pic.twitter.com/1s9OcvpD2y
At age 28, she will be 30 in the next elections cycle which she pointed out means that she’s spent a decade as an elected politico, and she took aim at the politics of Westminster voicing her anger that her constituents continue to have no real voice in the UK’s government despite what she categorized as her “best efforts.”
Later she offered a more detailed explanation in her Twitter post:
— Mhairi Black 🏳️🌈 (@MhairiBlack) July 4, 2023
PinkNewsUK journalist Chantelle Billson reported:
Black’s departure will be a loss for LGBTQ+ rights because she has used her platform to stand up for queer rights and publically shoot down misinformed toxic rhetoric.
She has previously said that it was understandable why members of the public who don’t identify as LGBTQ+ were confused by trans issues.
“I understand how the vast majority of people aren’t aware of trans issues, they aren’t aware of the complexities that people have to go through, which is exactly why I think the Scottish government have been right in going to the experts.”
Black also said that she had no sympathy for Rosie Duffield’s “misinformed” views on trans rights.
In 2019, Black spoke out about a “toxic” backlash against transgender rights and accused opponents of trans rights of spreading “misconceptions and outright lies.”
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