CHERRY BOMB
Death threats Joanna blames internal party feud for a ‘smear’ campaign against her and criticises leadership for a ‘lack of support’
THE SNP was embroiled in “open warfare” last night after a high-profile MP blamed internal party feuding for a “smear” campaign against her.
Edinburgh South West MP Joanna Cherry also claimed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had not spoken to her after she received online death threats last week.
In an astonishing insight into a rift among leading SNP figures, Cherry criticised the “lack of support” shown to her by the party leadership in recent weeks.
The 53-year-old was given police protection at a constituency meeting last week after being sent threatening messages on social media, including a cartoon with a gun.
Cherry had come under fire from trans rights campaigners after she replied to a post which they said misgendered an activist as “him”.
She is also facing bullying allegations from former staff members.
But the SNP justice and home affairs spokeswoman insisted the claims about her from several junior staffers were malicious.
It’s claimed Cherry condoned bullying by her office manager Fraser Thompson.
House of Commons authorities are probing the matter after complaints were lodged by four complainers last August.
But Cherry yesterday took to Twitter to insist: “Be in no doubt these are politically motivated smears arising from SNP infighting.”
Cherry is a close ally of Alex Salmond and is understood to have sided with the former first minister in his feud with Sturgeon in the wake of misconduct allegations against him.
She made a thinly veiled attack on current SNP leader Sturgeon yesterday in an interview with a pro-independence newspaper.
Cherry said: “I was surprised when no one from the SNP leadership contacted me to inquire after my wellbeing.
“They still haven’t and I am afraid that if such a lack of support for parliamentarians within the party is allowed to continue, it will dissuade people from entering politics.”
Cherry complained other SNP MPs had been “hung out to dry” after complaints were made against them.
She added: “The problem we have is that, from the moment the first parliamentarian complained against was hung out to dry, a signal was given to those with petty motivations that if you seek to smear an SNP parliamentarian, the party won’t get behind them, even if they are subsequently exonerated.” The MP criticised SNP MEP Alyn Smith, former deputy leader Angus Robertson and Glasgow South MP Stewart McDonald for calling for the party to crackdown on the so-called cybernats – online supporters of independence who abuse unionist opponents on social media.
She said: “The so-called ‘War on Cybernats’ last weekend was unnecessary and has really upset our core support.”
Scottish Tory deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said it was clear the SNP is in “open warfare”.
He added: “With senior MPs attacking the hierarchy, we see a party now utterly distracted by its own divisions and failing to focus on the day job of improving Scotland’s public services.”
SNP Commons leader Ian Blackford said he did “not know the facts” of the complaints.
A party spokesman said: “We take welfare responsibilities to all our members extremely seriously.”