SNP plunged into turmoil amid by-election after MP's 'ultimatum' to party bosses
SNP plunged into turmoil amid by-election after MP's 'ultimatum' to party bosses
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The SNP has been plunged into turmoil following their devastating by-election defeat after it emerged a major member threatened to quit the party in a row over her successor.
Mhairi Black, the SNP’s Deputy Leader in the House of Commons, is reported to have threatened to leave the SNP on the eve of the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election after giving her bosses an ultimatum.
Party bosses are understood to have caved to her demands in a bid to avoid upset before the vote.
WATCH NOW: SNP battered in by-election
Black, who announced she will stand down at the next general election, reportedly fought to have one of her staff members, Robert Innes, approved as a potential successor for her Paisley and Renfrewshire South seat, according to The Holyrood.
Innes, who is currently an SNP councillor in Renfrewshire, has been a loyal supporter of Black for 10 years.
However, he reportedly failed the initial vetting procedure and his appeal for the next general election prior to Black’s intervention.
Innes is reported to have called the vetting panel’s rejection a “stitch-up” and threatened to quit the SNP and run as an independent unless the decision was overturned.
GB News has approached Black’s office for comment.
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Mhairi Black, the SNP’s Deputy Leader in the House of Commons, is reported to have threatened to leave the SNP on the eve of the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election after giving her bosses an ultimatum
PA
Several senior SNP sources confirmed that Black had effectively “blackmailed” the party with one source calling the row an “ultimatum”.
“It's quite clear that Mhairi Black has decided she's standing down and has one foot out the door and is perhaps not thinking of the wider consequences,” an SNP source told The Holyrood.
Innes confirmed he was in the running to stand for the SNP in the Paisley and Renfrewshire South seat on social media on October 3.
He wrote: “It is an absolute pleasure to announce that I will be seeking nomination to stand as a potential SNP candidate for Paisley and Renfrewshire South.
Humza Yousaf called Black a 'trailblazer' after she announced she would step down
PA
“Thank you to all the local SNP members that have encouraged me to put my name forward to go for this.”
Black’s decision to quit Westminster next year comes after she called the environment in Westminster “toxic” and “poisonous”.
She also cited social media abuse among her reasons.
Following Black’s announcement, SNP leader Humza Yousaf called the party’s deputy Westminster leader a “trailblazer” and hailed her as a “role model for young people, especially women”.