Former SNP Westminster deputy leader Mhairi Black quits party

Former SNP Westminster deputy leader Mhairi Black is reported to have quit the SNP, with the ex MP citing the party’s “capitulation” on trans rights as part of the reason for her decision.

Black said while she still supported Scottish independence there had been “too many times” when she did not agree with decisions made by the party.

She told The Herald newspaper: “Basically, for a long time, I’ve not agreed with quite a few decisions that have been made.

“There have just been too many times when I’ve thought, ‘I don’t agree with what you’ve done there’ or the decision or strategy that has been arrived at.”

Black said she was “still just as pro independence, absolutely” but claimed the party’s “capitulation on LGBT rights, trans rights in particular” had been an issue for her.

She added: “I thought the party could be doing better about Palestine as well.”

The former MP said: “If anything, I’m probably a bit more left wing than I have been. I don’t think I have changed all that much. I feel like the party needs to change a lot more.”

Ms Black was catapulted into the political limelight when she was elected to Westminster at the age of just 20 and became the youngest MP since 1832.

She was elected as the MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, ousting the former Labour cabinet secretary, Douglas Alexander, with her victory there coming as the SNP captured all but three of the seats in Scotland in the 2015 general election – the first since the independence vote in 2014.

She later became her party’s deputy leader in the House of Commons when Stephen Flynn took over as group leader, but stepped down at the 2024 general election, blaming the “toxic” environment at Westminster.

She was also diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during her time at Westminster, saying previously that the condition was picked up after she became unwell with “burn-out” during her time as an MP.

An SNP spokesperson said: “The SNP is the largest political party in Scotland, united under John Swinney’s vision of creating a better, fairer Scotland for everyone.

“After a year of disappointment and let-downs from the UK Labour Government, it’s clear that real change will never come from Westminster and that independence is essential for a better future.”