Letting Ewing ‘off the hook’ could see more dissent in SNP, says ex-comms chief

Letting ex-minister Fergus Ewing “off the hook” for several public spats with the Scottish Government could lead to more dissent, the SNP’s former head of communications has said.

Mr Ewing – who most recently served as rural affairs secretary under Nicola Sturgeon – has repeatedly attacked the Government over the powersharing agreement with the Greens, the deposit return scheme, and proposals to ban human activity in at least 10% of Scottish waters.

The long-time SNP stalwart’s opposition to highly protected marine areas (HPMAs) culminated in him tearing up the Government’s consultation document on the issue during an angry outburst at Holyrood.

Former minister and SNP leadership contender Kate Forbes also spoke against the proposals in the same debate.

Writing in the Daily Record – the paper for which he served as editor before becoming the SNP’s communications chief – Murray Foote said Mr Ewing should be sanctioned to prevent further dissent.

“Ewing was not the only SNP backbencher to object to the no-catch zone proposals which would impact on coastal communities,” he wrote.

“But he was the only one who made the conscious decision to play the pantomime villain.

“His histrionics are the latest in a repeat pattern of very public dissent. A cynic might consider he is still in the throes of a 24-month huff since he left the Government.

“Or perhaps he believes, as a son of the venerated Ewing dynasty, his surname entitles him to behave as he chooses, free of consequence. If so, it’s time he was dissuaded of the notion.

“If Ewing is continually let off the hook, others will believe they too can act with impunity – and that again only benefits the opposition.”

The comments underline the current internal turmoil within the SNP, with a fractious leadership debate having concluded less than two months ago and the ongoing police probe over the party’s finances – which has seen the arrest of former chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell and then party treasurer Colin Beattie.

They were released without charge pending further investigation.

Mr Foote went so far as to suggest an “amnesty” for rebellious MSPs, saying the party could “wipe clean the slate of recent misdemeanours and start over with the warning that future serious breaches will be met with equally serious consequences”.

The former spin doctor – who quit the party after being given misleading information about membership figures to provide to the media – added: “The leadership team urgently needs to find a mechanism to restore that fabled party unity.

“Time needs to be called on the behaviour of politicians who mistakenly believe they are bigger than the party.

“The clock is ticking.”

While the debate over HPMAs is the most recent point of contention within Scotland’s ruling party, outspoken rebellion among MSPs has been brewing since the end of last year, when nine SNP MSPs voted against the Government’s gender reforms, defying the whip.

It is not clear what action, if any, was taken against the group, which included former minister and future leadership contender Ash Regan.

Responding to the former communications chief, Inverness and Nairn MSP Mr Ewing said he has fought “for fishermen and oil and gas workers for 50 years and will continue to do so”, adding: “Mr Foote chooses to make a very personal attack on me – and I’m always happy when that happens because he knows he’s lost the argument.

“The SNP have always stood up for our fishermen, and our policy commitment on the dualling of the A9 and A96 is long-standing. So is our campaign for developing Scotland’s oil and gas for the benefit of our people.

“Why does he think I should abandon these decade-long commitments?”

An SNP spokesman said: “SNP MSPs are fully focused on delivering for the people of Scotland in the midst of a Tory cost-of-living crisis and damaging Brexit backed by Labour.”