LABOUR could hold on to constituency seats in North Lanarkshire because of bitter infighting and claims of corruption in the SNP.
Senior local SNP sources have told The National they believe the “toxic” state of the branch will put off party activists, scare off voters and have urged the party HQ to act quickly. Members have already deserted SNP candidates in North Lanarkshire in despair at the infighting and the presence of the so-called Monklands McMafia.
On Saturday night, at Richard Lyle’s adoption party – an event to celebrate a candidate being chosen – between 30 and 40 activists turned up. One source told the National: “That’s pretty poor for a branch that used to have over 1,000 members.”
Plans to protest the event by one group of activists opposed to Lyle were cancelled at the last minute.
The National understands that many SNP supporters will simply not canvass or campaign for Lyle in Uddingston and Bellshill or for Fulton MacGregor, the candidate in Coatbridge and Chryston.
A party source said: “Our main hope is that Edinburgh [SNP HQ] start taking notice of this and do something about it very quickly. What we’re hoping for is that we can get these candidates replaced. All they’re doing is forcing good, good people out.” It follows months of infighting, supposedly between the old-guard and the newer members. A private detective hired by the SNP’s HQ is currently interviewing members over allegations made against Councillor Julie MacAnulty. Sheena McCulloch, who works for Lyle, has told party bosses the councillor said she wanted to “get the Pakis out” of the SNP.
McAnulty denies the claim and supporters believe she is being smeared for opposing Lyle.
Yesterday’s Sun newspaper reported that McAnulty had spent seven hours with members of Police Scotland’s Counter Corruption Unit detailing the links between accusing colleagues of bribery, corruption and drug dealing.
A source told the paper: “She believes there is serious corruption and has decided the only option is to tell everything to the police. Her claims are explosive. It will be interesting to see how they are dealt with by the police, the Crown Office and the SNP.”
McAnulty made allegations of illegal payments over planning and licensing applications and that crooked businessmen gave bungs to win lucrative public sector contracts. The National understands there are also allegations involving the notorious gangland families that operate in that part of Scotland.
Recently, one local SNP councillor took to the pages of the local paper with a letter from police which he claimed proved he was not linked to organised crime.
After being linked to criminality on social media by former SNP councillor Alan O’Brien, Michael Coyle raised concerns with police about the damage being done to his reputation.
The letter read: “Police Scotland regret that this investigation may have had an unintentional, but unavoidable, effect on Councillor Coyle’s reputation but reaffirm that, following a thorough and necessary investigative process, there was no evidence to support any of the allegations made against him.”
Coyle, a member of the council’s planning committee along with his wife and daughter, said: “There are people attempting to smear and besmirch my reputation as a councillor. Wild accusations and rumours have circulated on social media for too long now and I intend to set the record straight.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “The efforts of all members should be on our positive campaign to re-elect the SNP. We will be making no further comment until ongoing investigations are concluded.”
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