Sir Keir Starmer provoked some laughter in the Commons as he made reference to Stephen Flynn's troubles over his bid to become an MSP while sitting as an MP.

The Prime Minister appeared unable to resist alluding to the episode which dominated the headlines in Scottish politics last week.

Starmer said Flynn's colleagues would be pleased to see him in his Commons seat after the SNP MP for Aberdeen South put a question to him.

Referring to anti-scam awareness week, Flynn said “if you see a scam, you should report it” as he asked the Prime Minister if he is aware “of anyone who promised to protect pensioners only to pick their pockets”.

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Mr Flynn told MPs: “As everyone in the House will be aware, we’re currently in the middle of BBC anti-scam awareness week, and of course, advice in that context is always simple. If you see a scam, you should report it.

“So with that in mind, can the Prime Minister advise the House, is he aware of anyone who has promised to reduce energy bills only for them to increase? Is he aware of anyone who promised to back business only to tax business? And is he aware of anyone who promised to protect pensioners only to pick their pockets for their winter fuel allowance?”

Starmer replied: “I am very glad to see him in his seat in this House, as I am sure many of his colleagues in Scotland share that sentiment.”

Pointing to Mr Flynn he added: “What I can point to is a Government in Scotland that promised to take Scotland forward and took them backwards so I can identify the first one right there.”

Flynn dropped his dual mandate bid on Thursday evening after facing substantial criticism from party members at Holyrood, where he was planning to stand against sitting SNP MSP Audrey Nicoll to be the party's candidate for Aberdeen South and Kincardine at the 2026 election.

“Hands up, I’ve got this one wrong and won’t be pursuing a dual mandate," he said in a statement.

“My aim to save the public purse from unnecessary strain by potentially overlapping the role of an MP and an MSP for a short period until the next General Election was genuine in its intent - but doing it for the right reasons doesn’t change the fact that I got it wrong.

“My motivation and central belief remains that Holyrood, as the heart of Scottish democracy, is the democratic platform that will drive the route to an independent Scotland. All of us in the independence movement share that common cause and want to be part of that story.

“Alongside all SNP members, I now look forward to assessing the new candidate selection rules that my party will put in place.”