SUSPENDED SNP MSP Fergus Ewing will not attend the party’s upcoming annual conference in Aberdeen – saying the event “isn’t really what it used to be”.
The rebel politician is currently on suspension from the SNP Holyrood group, though he remains a rank-and-file member of the party, because of his outspoken criticism of Scottish Government policy and voting for a no-confidence motion in Greens minister Lorna Slater.
Ewing, an SNP MSP since 1999, told the Press and Journal he would not be attending the party’s annual get-together.
He argued the SNP was in the throes of the “biggest crisis” in its nearly 90-year history.
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Ewing said: “This is the biggest crisis the SNP has faced in its history. Certainly since 1979 and it’s a question of how we react to it.
“There is no point in delusion and pretending these problems don’t exist.”
A former minister in the governments of both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, Ewing was ditched from cabinet in 2021, two years after bullying accusations – which he denies – were made against him by staff.
Since moving to the backbenches, Ewing has turned into an increasingly vocal internal critic of the SNP administration, notably tearing up a consultation paper on Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), which would have seen fishing banned in a tenth of Scottish waters.
The plans have since been paused and Ewing irked the SNP leadership again in June by backing a Conservative no-confidence motion in Slater.
Ewing also told the Press and Journal that Humza Yousaf must “radically change direction” or the SNP would face “very serious decline”.
He added: “He has a relatively short window between now and Christmas to turn this around. I have no sense he is planning to do that.”
An SNP spokesperson told the paper: “Now, more than ever, people across Scotland need an alternative to the damaging Westminster system responsible for the cost of living crisis hammering households up and down the country.
”Our annual party conference is a chance for SNP members to come together to shape the SNP’s strategy for creating a better, fairer and more prosperous future as an independent country.”
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