JOANNA Cherry has resigned from her role on the SNP's National Executive Committee (NEC).
Cherry said that there had been a "number of factors" which stopped her from fulfilling the role she had been elected to by party members.
Announcing the news on Twitter, the prominent MP and QC wrote: "I’ve resigned from the NEC of @theSNP.
READ MORE: SNP treasurer steps down citing lack of 'support or financial information'
"A number of factors have prevented me from fulfilling the mandate party members gave me to improve transparency and scrutiny and to uphold the party’s constitution.
"I won’t be making any further comment at this stage."
I’ve resigned from the NEC of @theSNP. A number of factors have prevented me from fulfilling the mandate party members gave me to improve transparency & scrutiny & to uphold the party’s constitution. I won’t be making any further comment at this stage.
— Joanna Cherry QC (@joannaccherry) May 31, 2021
The news follows Douglas Chapman MP standing down from his role as party treasurer citing a lack of "support or financial information".
Both Cherry and Chapman (below) were supporters of the Common Weal Group inside the SNP which advocated more transparency, a greater role for members and more pressing work to be carried out in building the case for independence.
Marco Biagi, the former SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central, also quit his role as the head of the party's "independence taskforce" last week.
Biagi, a former minister in the SNP government, said his role on the taskforce had turned out to be the "worst job I've ever had".
Commenting before Cherry announced her resignation from the NEC, National columnist Lesley Riddoch said that the "low-key resignations of Douglas Chapman and Marco Biagi constitute a polite, final warning".
"Big change in the SNP top team is needed now", she added.
READ MORE: SNP NEC results reignite party row over Gender Recognition Act reform proposals
It comes after a complaint was made to Police Scotland in March, by protester Sean Clerkin, claiming that £600,000 had been diverted elsewhere instead of being ringfenced for another referendum campaign as the party had previously promised.
Police Scotland said it was was still assessing the complaint, and no investigation is currently underway while it is examined.
Cherry was demoted to the backbenches last year from her role as frontbench spokesperson for justice and home affairs.
She recently announced a return to work after a period of poor health.
Craig Berry, who founded the SNP Common Weal group before defecting to the Alba Party ahead of the May elections, commented: "A quarter of those elected to the SNP NEC have resigned.
READ MORE: SNP Common Weal Group's George Kerevan and Craig Berry quit to join Alba Party
"Those that have been elected on a reform manifesto are all saying the same thing - there is currently no route to reform the party under the current leadership. It's time for them to go."
Berry said upon leaving the SNP that he believed the party “in its present state is unreformable” and had decided to join the Alba Party to “seek to build a left-wing, progressive wing of the independence movement elsewhere”.
The SNP have been approached for comment.
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