The Scotsman

Cherry in new attack on SNP leadership

- By ANGUS HOWARTH newsdeskts@scotsman.com

Joanna Cherry has stepped up her criticism of the SNP hierarchy after her sacking from the party's front bench at Westminste­r earlier this week.

The Edinburgh South West MP suggested there is no "functionin­g link" between the party's MPS at Westminste­r and the leadership.

A man has been charged after Ms Cherry reported alleged threats to the police in the aftermath of her dramatic removal from the SNP'S Commons front bench by the party's Westminste­r leader Ian Blackford on Monday.

Ms Cherry suggested in a column for the National this was down to her public calls for stronger line on an independen­ce Plan B, along with her high profile role in the debate over women’s rights versus trans rights.

"I got 30 minutes’ notice of the announceme­nt, no proper explanatio­n of why I was being sacked and no acknowledg­ement of or any thanks at all for the work I have done in that role over the last five-and-a-half years," she said in her weekly National column.

"The press release announcing the reshuffle was a masterly piece of Stalinist revisionis­m in which I was not even mentioned.

"Airbrushed from history. A non-person."

The MP said she had faced a "tsunami" of abuse in the aftermath of her dismissal as Justice spokeswoma­n at Westminste­r and said that much of the criticism had come from people within the SNP.

"Those in authority refuse to condemn them," Ms Cherry added.

She went on: "As to the internal politics of the SNP, what is now in the public domain is the tip of the iceberg of behaviour which I and others have had to put up with for years.

"I really do understand why people say – ‘sort this out in private, it’s harming the cause’, but please be aware there is no internal way to properly discuss policy or strategy and there is no functionin­g link between MPS and the leadership."

Ms Cherry recently publicly clashed with fellow Nationalis­t MPS Kirsty Blackman and Kirsten Oswald on Twitter.

Formerjust­icesecreta­rykenny

Macaskill, now the MP for East Lothian, said Ms Cherry’s sacking was a “big mistake” anddescrib­edherasapo­tential future leader of the party.

 ??  ?? 0 Joanna Cherry has hit out at the SNP leadership since she was sacked from the Westminste­r front bench
0 Joanna Cherry has hit out at the SNP leadership since she was sacked from the Westminste­r front bench

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