ANOTHER SNP MP is to step down at the next General Election.

Douglas Chapman, the MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, has said this won't be the last of him and not to consider this his "retirement, far from it!".

In a statement published on his Twitter account, he wrote: "This has not been an easy decision for me to reach, however following discussions with my family and close political friends I have decided not to seek a nomination to be an SNP candidate at the next Westminster election.

"I wish to thank my local branch members for their committed support over many years. Also, I am very proud of my dedicated staff team who have worked hard to win countless cases on behalf of our constituents and provided a high level of support to the thousands of people in Dunfermline and West Fife who contacted my office." 

The National: Douglas Chapman MP

He continued: "I would also like to recognise the love and support of my immediate family. Without them, standing for parliament and then functioning successfully as an MP would have proved to be more than a difficult challenge.

"Above all I want to thank my constituents for the faith they placed in me as their representative in parliament and their help in winning three consecutive elections in 2015, 2017 and again in 2019. Serving you and our constituency over the past 8 years has been the privilege of my life.

"Finally, this is not about retirement, far from it! I intend to work hard for my constituents for the remainder of this parliament and continue to raise expectations and ambitions in our constituency.

"I will continue to work towards achieving our national mission to see Scotland become a confident, prosperous, and happy independent nation and help us 'settle up' once and for all."

This comes as Ian Blackford, Peter Grant and Angela Crawley announced they won't stand for selection.