Jamie Stone ‘saddened’ to see Conservative MSP Edward Mountain announce he will be leaving politics
Jamie Stone has praised Edward Mountain for working cross-party on important issues after the Conservative MSP announced he was stepping down.
The 63-year-old said he would not be standing for re-election in 2026, saying that party-political disputes and the independence issue is “holding Scotland back”.
The Scottish Conservative, who has represented the area since 2016, informed the party this week that he would not seek nomination ahead of the next Holyrood vote.
In a letter to Scottish Conservatives leader Russell Findlay, Mr Mountain said being an MSP had been a “true honour” and that he would “serve faithfully” until the end of the current term.
He wrote: “I have had the true honour to be in the Scottish Parliament for nearly nine years. It has been a huge privilege serving people across the Highlands and Islands. There have been many challenges and I have done my best to remain true to my beliefs and political values.
“Sadly, in this Parliament I have found that all too often, many good ideas are discounted and shelved by those more interested in promoting the political differences and arguments for independence. The result is that I constantly see good ideas, that could and would benefit Scotland, being thwarted.
“This is not only self-serving, but also holding Scotland back. The worst of it is that it does little to help the many people that look to the Parliament to make the real changes that would make their lives better.”
Mr Stone, the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said he was saddened that Mr Mountain was leaving politics.
Mr Stone said: “He is a hard worker who genuinely cared about constituents – and, a rarer thing than it should be in political life, he was very willing to work with members of other parties such as myself for the common good.
“A good man.”
Mr Mountain is convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee and was convener of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee from 2016-2021.
Prior to politics, he had a 12-year military career, worked as a chartered surveyor and runs a farm in the region.
