Angus MacNeil has suspended SNP membership
Earlier this week, the veteran Na h-Eileanan MP, an IAR MP, announced he would run as an independent after being suspended for a week following a row with party leader Brendan O’Hara.
CONTINUE READING: Angus MacNeil will not rejoin the SNP until the party ‘seeks independence’
In a tart letter, Mr MacNeil said he would only run as the SNP candidate in the next election if there was “clarity on independence” after the October conference.
He also criticized Nicola Sturgeon’s dispute before the Supreme Court, saying the Scottish Government “has absolutely no idea how to go about going for independence”.
The longtime MP went a step further in an interview with The Herald, accusing his colleagues of preferring to be “settled rather than settled”.
An SNP spokesman said: “Angus MacNeil, MP, was informed by the SNP national secretary on Wednesday that he believed her decision to resign from the SNP Westminster group was breaching the party’s code of conduct.”
“Having acknowledged this, Mr MacNeil declined the offer to rejoin the SNP group and the matter was therefore referred to the SNP Members’ Conduct Committee for consideration yesterday.”
The dispute between Mr MacNeil and Mr O’Hara reportedly revolved around the MP missing out on important votes in the House of Commons, including once when he was on a trip to Qatar.
Guido Fawkes’ blog reported that Mr MacNeil yelled at Mr O’Hara several times, “You’re a little, little man.”
CONTINUE READING: Angus MacNeil: Nicola Sturgeon silenced colleagues on independence issue
Scottish Conservative leader Craig Hoy said: “This is further clear evidence that senior SNP politicians continue to smear one another.” After Angus MacNeil’s scathing criticism of the party’s leadership, they now have one of their own senior MPs suspended.
“Perhaps Mhairi Black and other SNP MPs need to take a closer look when they rail against toxicity in politics.
“Clearly, the increasingly bitter power struggles are playing a major role in why SNP MPs are giving up their seats, which sums up their lack of confidence in Humza Yousaf’s leadership ability to settle these internal feuds.”
