FORMER SNP MSP John Mason has said he will not be appealing his expulsion from the party and that he will remain as an independent until the next election.
We previously told how Mason was expelled from the party following comments he made about Gaza.
He had previously said on Twitter/X that “if Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many”.
The MSP had also previously joined a protest against abortion clinic buffer zones.
Mason was expelled from the party earlier this month following a meeting of the party’s conduct committee.
In a post on Facebook, Mason said he was “incredibly disappointed and saddened” to be suspended and subsequently expelled by the party having been a member for 34 years.
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“The SNP when I joined it was a ‘big tent’ or ‘broad church’ type of party, allowing a wide variety of views within it, as long as there was a commitment to Scottish independence,” he said.
“However, it does seem to have become less tolerant and narrower over the years and is not as inclusive as it used to be.
“That is not where I want it to be but I fully accept that it is up to the members to decide how they want the party to be.”
Mason (below) added that he had been “reflecting” on whether or not to appeal his expulsion but said he did not think “spinning out the process even longer would be to anyone’s benefit”.
The statement said: "I have been reflecting on my expulsion and whether I should appeal or not. Some people have said I should and others have said there was no point as people’s minds were already made up.
"It is now nine weeks since I was suspended and I do feel that that is long enough for this episode to have continued. I do not think that my spinning out the process even longer would be to anyone’s benefit.
"Therefore, I have very reluctantly decided not to appeal. I totally disagree with the decision of the Member Conduct Committee, however, they are put in place by the SNP to decide on such cases.
"Therefore, moving forward I plan to be an independent MSP until the next Scottish elections in 2026".
He added: "Can I take this opportunity of thanking all those in the SNP, including Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, local SNP members, SNP staff and colleagues for all their help and support over the years. My council by-election win in 1998 and my Westminster by-election win in 2008 have been particular highlights.
"I was elected as the SNP representative for Glasgow Shettleston constituency and clearly they mainly voted for the party rather than for myself.
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"Therefore, I think I owe it to them to continue largely supporting the SNP Group at Holyrood and voting with the party as much as possible. I have been committed to the SNP for over 30 years and feel no reduction in my level of commitment now.
"I hope it is clear that while the SNP may be rejecting me, I am not rejecting the SNP and I will do what I can to encourage constituents and others to vote for the Party in elections at all levels."
An SNP spokesperson said: “John Mason has today informed the national secretary that he does not intend to appeal the decision of the Members’ Conduct Committee.”
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