Veteran Highlands MSP Fergus Ewing branded the SNP an authoritarian party that demands “obedience to the leadership” as he revealed party bosses have upheld a suspension imposed on him.
His SNP colleagues at Holyrood had agreed to suspend the Inverness and Nairn MSP from their group for a week in September as punishment for voting against a Scottish Government minister in a crucial vote of confidence.
Mr Ewing, the son of late SNP trailblazer Winnie Ewing and a former rural economy secretary in the Scottish Government, had appealed against that decision.
But confirming the suspension on Tuesday evening, Mr Ewing said: “The SNP has now become an authoritarian party requiring strict obedience to the leadership at the expense of personal freedom for any individual member.”
‘Doormat’
He added: “If my constituents wanted a doormat, they would have gone to B&Q.”
Mr Ewing has been outspoken on government policies including the halted deposit return scheme, and the introduction of new regulations for short-term property lets.
It was after the deposit scheme was put on hold that a vote on no confidence in Green government colleague Lorna Slater was called, in which Mr Ewing sided with opposition parties.
Mr Ewing has since increased his anger at Greens in the power-sharing government at Holyrood.
He previously called the party “wine bar pseudo-intellectuals”.
He pledged to “continue to defend” his constituents but refused to say if he would re-join the SNP.
He stated: “For my future, I vow to continue to defend the interests of my constituents, and as far as the SNP is concerned… let the cards fall as they may.
“If the SNP cannot cope with that, so be it.”
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