SNP MP Joanna Cherry claims she has been 'cancelled' as The Stand Edinburgh Festival Fringe show axed

SNP MP Joanna Cherry claims she has been “cancelled” after her Edinburgh Festival Fringe show at a city centre venue was axed.

The KC had been due to appear at The Stand during the festival in August.

However, in a statement issued on Monday the venue confirmed a live discussion with Ms Cherry had been called off, amid reports claiming staff were not comfortable working at the event.

The Stand said: “Further to our previous policy statement on this matter, following extensive discussions with our staff, it has become clear that a number of The Stand’s key operational staff, including venue management and box office personnel, are unwilling to work on this event. As we have previously stated, we will ensure that their views are respected.”

SNP MP Joanna Cherry. Picture: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

Ms Cherry said she hoped venue organisers would “see sense” and reconsider the decision.

“Staff shouldn't be framing editorial and artistic policy,” the Edinburgh South MP told the BBC.

"I'm being cancelled and no-platformed because I'm a lesbian, who holds gender-critical views that somebody's sex is immutable.

"I've made those views clear over a number of years. I have never said that trans people should not have equal rights."

The event was due to be one in a series of In Conversation With shows.

Interview guests are due to include former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

The show involving Ms Cherry was due to cover her career in politics, her feminist views and the Scottish independence movement, the politician has said.

Ms Cherry said: "Because a small number of people don't like my feminist and lesbian activism, I'm being prevented from talking about all of those things in my home city where I'm an elected politician.

"I think it says something's gone very wrong in Scotland's civic space. Small groups of activists are now dictating who can speak and what can be discussed."

The decision to cancel the show comes after the principal of Edinburgh University vowed to fully investigate “disturbances” that led to the cancellation of a screening of the controversial Adult Human Female documentary for a second time.

It was the second time within six months that demonstrators had prevented the showing of the documentary, which has been branded “transphobic” by critics, following a similar incident in December.