The Scottish National party (SNP) has expelled its veteran MP Angus MacNeil, who immediately responded by criticising the leadership’s lack of urgency on independence.
He was suspended from the party’s Westminster group last month after reportedly clashing with its chief whip, Brendan O’Hara, over his attendance record at Commons’ votes.
The SNP’s conduct committee met on Thursday to discuss the case after MacNeil refused to immediately rejoin the group at the end of his suspension.
MacNeil, 53, has represented the Na h-Eileanan an Iar , or Western Isles constituency since 2005.
He tweeted about his expulsion, using a kangaroo emoji to refer to the member conduct committee.
He said: “The Summer of Member Expulsion, has indeed come to pass. As I have been expelled as a rank & file SNP member by a ‘member conduct committee’.
“I didn’t leave the SNP - the SNP have left me. I wish they were as bothered about independence as they are about me!”
MacNeil, who is one of the SNP’s longest-serving MPs, has been an outspoken critic of the party leadership in recent years, in particular over what he considers its timid independence strategy, but also on gender recognition reform and the Bute House agreement with the Scottish Greens. He is known to be a close ally of the former first minister Alex Salmond.
He was suspended from the Westminster group for a week in early July followingafter reports of a row with O’Hara in the House of Commons after the online blog Guido Fawkes reported a public row in the division lobby during which MacNeil called O’Hara “a small wee man” several times before throwing official letters about missed Commons votes back at him and storming off.
His membership of the party was suspended later the same month because he refused to immediately rejoin the SNP group.
He released a statement attacking the SNP leadership’s approach to independence, accusing it of a lack of urgency.
“I will only seek the SNP whip again if it is clear that the SNP are pursuing independence,” he wrote.
Thursday’s decision by the conduct committee means he is no longer able to sit as an SNP MP
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Also, fuckity bye!
What do people think? Has his expulsion helped or hindered the fight for independence? He’s certainly given meat for the Unionist media who are are asking, “Is the SNP imploding?”. Also, when he stands as an independent at the next election he’ll likely have opened the door for a Unionist candidate.