stephen resigned ‘to avoidrisking his marriage’

Nicol quit after plea from wife, say friends

By Cameron Brooks

Published:

Nicol Stephen made his shock decision to stand down as leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland after a plea from his wife Caris, it was revealed last night.

Senior party sources said he decided to quit to avoid putting his marriage at risk.

They said his wife was worried he was finding it hard to strike the right balance between work and family life and was spending too much time away from home.

The demands of his role as party boss were putting a “strain” on the close-knit family, it was claimed.

One party member said the 48-year-old Aberdeen South MSP and former deputy first minister had seriously considered standing down after the Holyrood elections in May last year when the former Labour-Lib Dem executive lost power to the SNP.

The source said Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alex-ander’s decision to resign last week presented an “opportune moment” for his exit.

Although it was common knowledge in party circles that the amount of time Mr Stephen was spending away from the family home in Aberdeen had created pressures, it came as “bolt out of the blue” to most when he resigned on Wednesday night.

The source said: “Nicol’s decision was more to do with Caris than anything else – she has lost him for the last nine years and wants him back.

“They moved to Edinburgh last year for Caris and the family situation and the children were put into school.

“They moved back to Aberdeen in March and quite simply she wants them in one place as a family.”

The party source added: “That is the trump card. Their oldest child MacLeod is 12 and Nicol has not been around since he was three.

“He took the decision because of the strain on his family and after nine years away in Edinburgh not seeing them, he thinks they deserve some of his time.

“There was some talk of him resigning last year but I think he has used the Wendy situation as an opportune moment.”

Mr Stephen and his wife, who have four children, MacLeod, Myrrin, 10, Marnie, 7, and Drummond, 4, are “very much a team”, the source stressed.

He added: “She is a wonderful, lovely woman and would make a fantastic MSP. She is very clever, down to earth, full of energy and very sensible.”

Another source added: “There was no political push behind Nicol’s decision to go

“But he has had family difficulties for some time. It has been a strain, so he is quite right to do what he did.”

The Stephen family, who live in the west end of Aberdeen, yesterday jetted off to the Mediterranean on holiday for nearly three weeks and were not available for comment last night.

The MSP’s father, Robert, who lives in Baillieswells Crescent, Bieldside, declined to make any comment about the resignation.

The political career of the perennially boyish-looking politician, who is staying on as Aberdeen South MSP, has spanned 25 years – more than half his life.

It began in 1982 when he became Scotland’s youngest councillor, serving the Grampian region.

His star soared when he became MP for Kincardine and Deeside in 1991, seizing the seat from Tories in a stunning by-election victory following the death of Alick Buchanan Smith, the sitting MP.

But his triumph was short-lived. The Conservatives won the seat back just 145 days later at the 1992 general election.

When the Scottish Parliament was created in 1999, Mr Stephen became MSP for Aberdeen South and held a number of ministerial posts before becoming deputy first minister in the last Labour-Lib Dem administration.

He appeared to thrive in opposition after the SNP took control following the Scottish Parliament elections in May last year, regularly outshining Wendy Alexander at first minister’s questions.