JOHN Lamont has announced he is resigning from his role as MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire.

The decision comes after he revealed he will stand as a candidate for the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency in June's general election.

Mr Lamont notified the Presiding Officer today (Tuesday) that he will resign from the Scottish Parliament with effect from Thursday, May 4.

He said: "It has been a great privilege to serve the people of the Borders in the Scottish Parliament for the last 10 years.

"During that time, I have worked as hard as I could to represent every community, no matter how small. I have held over 1000 local advice surgeries and assisted tens of thousands of local residents with problems and cases. I have always put local people before party politics.

"I want to continue that service to the Borders as a Member of Parliament and my approach to this important job will be exactly the same as it has been.

"This is one of the most important general elections Scotland has ever had. In the Borders, it will be straight fight between myself and the SNP. I have decided to stand down as an MSP to allow me to focus all of my energy on this important contest and to ensure that the electorate have a clear choice between the two contenders.

"I’ve taken this decision because I believe that I am best placed to help increase the number of Scottish Conservative and Unionist MPs at Westminster so we can stop the SNP bandwagon in its tracks. With this decision, no one can doubt my commitment to representing the Borders to the best of my ability."