Outgoing MSPs leave Holyrood with relief, regret and unfinished business

On Wednesday, as the final speeches echo around the chamber at Holyrood, a record number of MSPs will be preparing to say goodbye. A third of Scotland's MSPs - 42 - will walk out of the famous building for the last time, including former first ministers and first term MSPs. Some leave with relief, some with regret, and some with a sense of unfinished business. And while the parliament's veterans pass the baton, surprisingly young departures highlight the pressures of modern political life. A few of the Class of 2026 share a glimpse of what it really costs to build a political career - and what it takes to walk away from one. Two of those departing have reached the highest office in the land. Both former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf made their final speeches at Holyrood this week as parliament put the finishing touches to a raft of legislation before dissolution. In her farewell remarks Nicola Sturgeon gave advice to her younger self. "Make friends in other parties. Opponents need not be enemies." And she urged MSPs to keep a sense of perspective. "If everything is a scandal or an outrage, nothing is, which means that those who deserve to be held to account get o