AN SNP frontbencher has dismissed claims of bullying at her office as supporters backed her on social media.
Joanna Cherry, the party’s justice and home affairs spokeswoman at Westminster, rejected the allegations and said she would give her side of the situation “soon”.
“At present I’m not able to give my side of the story,” she said. “I hope to be in a position to do so soon. Meantime, I’m overwhelmed by the support from constituents, @theSNP members & #Yessers. Thank you,” she wrote on Twitter.
Among those to support the Edinburgh South West MP were party colleagues Joan McAlpine and Ruth Maguire.
McAlpine, the convener of Holyrood’s Europe committee, tweeted: “Joanna is one of our finest parliamentarians. She does an incredible job holding the UK gov to account on #Brexit. She’s been widely praised for exposing big tech’s #waronwomen. We are lucky to have her.”
Maguire, convener of Holyrood’s Equality and Human Rights Committee, highlighted a tweet by Cherry in which she described the claims as a “smear campaign”, adding: “Sorry this is happening to you @joannaccherry #Solidarity.”
Kirsty Hughes, director of the think tank, the Scottish Centre on European Relations, also gave her support to Cherry, who is among the politicians who spearheaded the campaign to revoke Article 50.
“European elections in Scotland now risk being overshadowed by big SNP row. @joannaccherry has been, and is, one of the major remain voices,” Hughes tweeted.
Support also came from staff.
On Twitter, Catriona Macdonald wrote: “I work for @joannaccherry and have done for some time. She is a kind, principled, dedicated woman and an inspirational feminist. I’m so proud of our team – and although recent abuse, death threats and smears in the press are upsetting, I know we’ll hang tough.”
Asked about the claims, Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader, said he did not know the details and said authorities at Parliament would investigate.
“These are not matters for me as parliamentary leader,” he said. “These are matters for the parliamentary authorities.
“One of the things I do want to see is if people do bring forward allegations that they are treated with respect and indeed that MPs are treated with respect as well. We have a duty as a party to make sure that we care for all our staff and we care for all our MPs.”
Scottish Tory deputy leader Jackson Carlaw MSP said: “The SNP is in open warfare. With senior MPs attacking the party hierarchy over its handling of internal matters, we see a party now utterly distracted by its own divisions, and failing to focus on the day job of improving Scotland’s public services.
“Nicola Sturgeon needs to exercise some of her much diminished authority and fast.”
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