Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

SNP complaints officer: Alex Neil calls for appointment to be scrapped as row erupts over vetting of new party official

Alex Neil.
Alex Neil.

Simmering tensions within the SNP have threatened to boil over again amid a row about the appointment of a party official to deal with complaints.

Ricky Taylor announced on social media on Friday that he would be taking up the position, which has been created in the wake of a series of controversies over the conduct of SNP parliamentarians.

But the decision has been heavily criticised by senior figures, including Edinburgh South West MP Joanna Cherry and former Health Secretary Alex Neil.

‘How did he pass vetting?’

On Twitter, Ms Cherry wrote: “The new SNP complaints officer Ricky Taylor has a history of targeting me and calling me transphobic for my lawful gender critical views.

“How did he pass vetting?”

Ms Cherry has previously been critical of the SNP leadership on a number of issues, including the debate over trans rights and women’s rights.

Joanna Cherry.

Meanwhile, Mr Neil wrote: “This is not a good appointment and should be rescinded with immediate effect.”

Sharing Ms Cherry’s tweet about Mr Taylor, he added: “This is very unfair to Joanna and undermines the party’s stance on human rights etc.”

On Sunday, Mr Taylor thanked those who had sent him supportive messages.

He wrote: “Hi, Folks – thanks for all the messages/tweets of support today.

“I’m perfectly fine and even more determined and excited to get on with the job.”

‘It’s not going to be the easiest job’

On Friday, he had said: “I’m delighted to say I’ll be joining the wonderful team at SNP HQ at the end of next month as the party’s new complaints officer.

“It’s not going to be the easiest job but I’m definitely up for the challenge of making sure the party is a welcoming and safe place for all.”

We revealed in June that the SNP was recruiting for a new complaints officer after a series of controversies over the conduct of senior figures in the party.

The post-holder was to be responsible for managing complaints to the SNP, as well as acting as a point of contact for complainants.

The advertisement states that the successful candidate would “complement the work of the national secretary, responsible for discipline within the party”.

The move follows multiple scandals involving prominent SNP figures in recent years, including former leader Alex Salmond, former finance secretary Derek Mackay, former early years minister Mark McDonald, former whip Patrick Grady, and the MP Margaret Ferrier.