Angus MacNeil temporarily quits SNP Westminster group and accuses party of not being 'serious about independence'

Angus MacNeil is sitting as an independent following a row with the SNP party chief whip

Angus MacNeil has accused the SNP of “not being serious about independence” and announced he will not return to the SNP group after his suspension expires.

The Western Isles MP was suspended for a week after allegedly calling chief whip Brendan O’Hara “a small wee man” before throwing away letters that were given to him.

Now Mr MacNeil has announced he will not return to the Westminster group until at least after the SNP conference in October if they provide “clarity on independence”.

In letter published on his Twitter account, Mr MacNeil – a frequent critic of the SNP’s independence approach in recent times – said the “urgency for independence is absent”.

He posted: "While the SNP has many good people and the best of the 3 leaders at PMQs in Stephen Flynn MP, I have decided for now, not to re-join the SNP MP group, retake the whip as they call it in Westminster.

“To be clear, this is not about the conduct of the Chief Whip, which you know I disagree with, but that is of little consequence, but it has triggered time formally away from the group which has allowed me to concentrate on what really matters, the pursuit of Scottish independence.

“I will only seek the SNP whip again if it is clear that the SNP are pursuing independence. At the moment, the SNP has become a brand name missing the key ingredient. The urgency for independence is absent.”

Angus MacNeil will not take back the whip when his suspension ends.

Mr MacNeil added: “The Scottish Government went to the Supreme Court a year ago utterly clueless about how to pursue independence, left the Supreme Court utterly clueless about how to pursue independence.

“The SNP still have no clear understanding that it has to use elections to negotiate Scottish independence from Westminster by getting the backing of the majority of the electorate. The SNP members must have a say at conference on the policy direction, which is hasn’t until now.”

Mr MacNeil, who has been in the Commons since 2005, is a vocal critic of SNP policy. He has lambasted the party’s independence strategy and has criticised the SNP’s recent policy on highly protected marine areas.

Alba Party Westminster leader Neale Hanvey – himself a defector from the SNP – described Mr MacNeil as an “outstanding independence MP, honest, forthright and brave”.

He said: “The total confusion over independence strategy is causing fundamental problems for the SNP.” Mr Hanvey went on to urge the SNP to “re-dedicate itself to its historic mission of independence”.

Scottish Conservative Chairman Craig Hoy MSP, said: “This is a devastating verdict from one of the SNP’s longest-serving MPs. Angus MacNeil’s decision to remain outside of the SNP because he believes there is a lack of strategy on delivering independence shows that the iron discipline which was once the hallmark of the SNP is now non-existent.

“Even on their dream of breaking up the United Kingdom, an SNP MP cannot resist taking aim at the party’s leadership. As his colleagues quit their seats, this is a thinly-veiled threat to stand against his party in the Western Isles.

“The infighting among the SNP is becoming increasingly bitter. The party’s MPs are fighting like Nats in a sack and are ignoring Scotland’s real priorities such as the cost-of-living crisis, fixing our NHS and strengthening our economy”.