A SECOND Glasgow SNP councillor has quit the party in as many weeks after a falling-out with council leader Susan Aitken.
Russell Robertson handed his notice in today, telling Aitken he could no longer serve under her because: “I feel you no longer have the leadership skills, qualities and above all the consensus-building skills required to lead this great city".
But an SNP source hit back, accusing the councillor – who previously sat for both the Tories and Labour – of “throwing his toys out of the pram” after losing a lucrative post as city convenor.
Last week, Councillor Glen Elder resigned the whip, accusing the leadership of "bullying and harassment".
And there are rumours around the city chambers that between four and six other SNP councillors could be on the brink of quitting.
The SNP now has 37 councillors, still ahead of Labour, which has 31 elected members, while the Tories have eight and the Greens seven.
Last year 60-year-old Robertson was forced to stand down as a baillie - a civic role, deputising for the Lord Provost - and as chair of the community planning partnership after he was accused of acting in an abusive manner and making sectarian remarks.
He was cleared of all charges but his partner, university student David Hara, admitted shouting “the Pope was a paedo” during a dispute with a neighbour.
Though Robertson was reinstated as a baillie again, a reshuffle saw his position on the planning partnership, with its £7000 salary uplift, subsumed into another, and taken over by SNP councillor Jennifer Layden.
One SNP source said: “Jungle drums are going mad just now. There was always the potential for Russell to do this, because Russell has always looked after Russell.
“When Labour was winning, he quit the Conservatives, then went from Labour to the SNP when we started winning. He was desperate to get involved with us.
“When his convenorship was taken off him, he threw his toys out of the pram.”
A Labour source said: "It is an open secret in the City Chambers that there are at least half a dozen other SNP members deeply unhappy with the leadership and direction of their group. More resignations or defections would come as no surprise."
The National's SNP source admitted losing control of the council could be a possibility: “We can just about get away with being two down. If it gets to three or four or five, we’ll be in trouble.
“We had our AGM. There was an opportunity to say something then. Susan stood up and gave them that chance. Not one person said anything.”
An SNP group spokesman told The National: "It was right that Russell was asked to stand down from his paid position when he was charged last year.
"It's seems he had an expectation that he would be reinstated to that same paid position.
"No-one elected as a representative of their community is owed their living beyond their core pay.
"It is very sad indeed that Russell has chosen to resign because of a loss of privilege."
When Robertson, who was in the Tories before joining Labour, defected to the SNP, Aitken said she was “pleased to welcome” him into the party, describing him as “decent” and “hard working”.
Robertson, who represents Glasgow’s East Centre ward, made the switch two months after he declared his support for Scottish independence in an impassioned Facebook post in November.
At the time, Robertson said he made the move because he believed that “if SNP members in the group come up with ideas they’ll be acted on”.
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