Aileen Campbell has announced she will step down as an MSP ahead of next year's Holyrood elections
Communities secretary Aileen Campbell has announced she will step down from her role next year.
The SNP MSP for Clydesdale revealed this weekend that she will be leaving Holyrood ahead of next year’s elections.
Campbell, who has two sons aged five and nine, said she is leaving the parliament to spend more time with her family.
She said: “As communities secretary, I have had the opportunity to lay the groundwork for the Scottish Child Payment – probably the most ambitious anti-poverty measure undertaken anywhere in the UK - which will start making payments to families across Scotland later this year.
“I’m also proud that the SNP has done so much to stand up for women, whether it is improving gender balance on public boards, action to tackle the gender pay gap, standing up for the pensions of the WASPI women, or opposing policies like the abhorrent rape clause.
“More recently I have had ministerial responsibility for taking forward the Scottish Government’s world-leading initiatives to tackle period poverty, and MSPs from across the chamber deserve great credit for working together to deliver on our shared ambitions.
“But just as Scotland has changed significantly for the better since 2007, so have my personal circumstances. I have got married and have been blessed with two beautiful boys, who are growing up fast. Indeed, in 2014 I became the first Scottish Minister to take maternity leave.
“My husband and I are very fortunate - we have managed to find ways for me to do my job and have a family at the same time, with Fraser taking on most of the day-to-day parenting.
“But there is no getting away from the fact that the job – while immensely rewarding - is demanding in terms of pressure and time. I hope in future I can spend a little more time with my boys at home.”
Campbell was appointed cabinet secretary for communities and local government in June 2018, having previously served as minister for public health and sport.
