A senior Scottish Conservative MSP has announced he will not be standing at next year's Holyrood election.
Adam Tomkins, the party's spokesman on the constitution, return full-time to his role as the John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow.
He was elected as a list MSP for the city in 2016 and has been a vocal critic of Scottish independence and the SNP's record in government.
Tomkins said his decision to stand down was not political but his departure will be viewed as a blow to Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw.
The Conservatives have been trailing the SNP in recent Holyrood polls, with some predicting the Nationalists are on course to win a second majority of MSPs.
In a statement, Tomkins said: “Serving as one of our party’s elected representatives for Glasgow has been an enormous privilege and leaving the Scottish Parliament in 2021 will be a wrench.
“I am not leaving the Parliament for political reasons. I wish Jackson and his team every success.
“My reasons are personal, to do with the work I want to pursue in the coming years and to do with the kind of father I aspire to be to my four children.
“I know that I will be stepping down in circumstances where the party is so much stronger than it was five years ago.
“Crucially, however, we have a momentous election in only nine months’ time. Between now and then we must all work tirelessly to ensure that we return and elect the highest possible number of Conservative candidates, not only in Glasgow, but right across the country.”
Carlaw said: “I would like to thank Adam both for his personal support and advice, and also for the immense contribution he has made to the Scottish Conservative parliamentary group and the party as a whole.
“Adam has been an invaluable source of energy and intellect, compassion and humour.
“While Adam has made important interventions on the union, his work on social deprivation, drug addiction and live music in Glasgow truly demonstrate the breadth of his interests and capability."
