A new Scottish Labour MSP is to give up her seat in the House of Lords but is keeping the door open to a return to the Westminster chamber in the future.
Katy Clark has confirmed that she will take a “leave of absence” from the Lords while she takes on her role as a list MSP for the West of Scotland
Clark joined the House of Lords as Baroness Clark of Kilwinning last year after being nominated by outgoing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Clark served as political secretary the left-wing Labour leader after losing her seat as Labour MP for North Ayrshire and Arran in the 2015 election.
In a statement Clark said: “I will be taking an imminent leave of absence from the House of Lords”.
The precise arrangements of Clark’s leave of absence are being finalised by the parliamentary authorities.
Clark previously said she would “stand down” from the Lords if she was elected as MSP.
A peer granted leave of absence by the House authorities can re-apply to attend the Lords again in the next parliament and then go back to claim the £300 a day allowance for each day they attend.
In contrast former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling retired outright from the House of Lords last year just five years after being appointed a life peer.
The Lords currently has 792 sitting members making it the second-largest legislative chamber in the world behind the Chinese National People’s Congress.
The SNP’s Cunninghame North MP Ken Gibson said the situation was “further proof that the Westminster system is broken”.
Gibson added: “It is ridiculous that an unelected Member of the House of Lords can dip in and out and choose when they want to claim £323 a day tax free on top of their Holyrood salary.”
