SNP MP retweets calls for Joanna Cherry to be kicked from party

By Conor Matchett
Published 4th Oct 2021, 12:56 BST
Updated 4th Oct 2021, 17:48 BST
Comment
The SNP’s ongoing civil war over trans rights has surfaced again as one MP retweeted calls for Joanna Cherry to be expelled from the party

Kirsty Blackman, the SNP MP for Aberdeen North, retweeted a post calling for the Edinburgh South West MP to be expelled for the party to allow the SNP to live up to its “zero tolerance” stance on trans rights.

Ms Cherry and Ms Blackman have been long-term opponents on the issue of self-identification for transgender individuals and have been at the heart of divisions within the party over the issue.

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Joanna Cherry was sacked from the SNP front bench earlier this year.Joanna Cherry was sacked from the SNP front bench earlier this year.
Joanna Cherry was sacked from the SNP front bench earlier this year.

Asked about the row on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland on Monday, deputy first minister John Swinney called for “considered and respectful debate”.

It also comes months after Ms Cherry accused Ms Blackman of “lies and smears”.

The row erupted after Ms Blackman retweeted a post, which stated: “ If my party truly stands for trans rights and equality, if our stance is truly 'zero tolerance', then it has to start from within. Joanna C must be expelled from the SNP.

"Show the people of Scotland and the rest of the UK that 'zero tolerance' means exactly that."

The tweet calling for the expulsion of Joanna Cherry, retweeted by Kirsty BlackmanThe tweet calling for the expulsion of Joanna Cherry, retweeted by Kirsty Blackman
The tweet calling for the expulsion of Joanna Cherry, retweeted by Kirsty Blackman

The tweet was in response to a post from Ms Cherry, who had responded to another Twitter user who had claimed Nicola Sturgeon wants to “let lads into women’s spaces” in a post directed to Neil Gray, an SNP MSP.

Responding, Ms Cherry posted: “Thank you @ellegla. Misogyny and abuse of women is never ok even when they have been impertinent enough to disagree with the new orthodoxy of queer theory and stick up for their rights. Tackling this problem should start at home."

The high-profile MP was sacked from the SNP’s frontbench in February as the Alex Salmond affair divided loyalties among members.

These divisions within the SNP partially led to the creation of the new pro-independence party, Alba, led by the former first minister, Mr Salmond, which has a gender critical stance on trans rights.

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