Mhairi Black quits SNP in protest at party's 'capitulation on trans rights'
Mhairi Black has quit the SNP in protest at the party's "capitulation on trans rights".
The former MP slammed John Swinney's leadership and claimed she had "not agreed with quite a few decisions that have been made".
Black became one of the best-known Nationalists in the UK after she became the youngest MP of the modern era when she defeated Labour veteran Douglas Alexander at the 2015 general election at the age of just 21.
At the time of her election as the new MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South she was still a final year student at the University of Glasgow.
But Black declined to be a candidate at last year's general election which saw the SNP suffer heavy losses to Labour.
"For a long time I've not agreed with quite a few decisions that have been made,' Black told The Herald. '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.
'To be honest, I'm looking around thinking, 'There are better organisations that I could be giving a membership to than this one that I don't feel has been making the right decisions for quite some time.'
Black pointed to what she claimed was "the capitulation on LGBT rights, trans rights in particular" as a major issued for her. She added: "I thought the party could be doing better about Palestine as well. So it was just a culmination of these things.'
The former MP had become an increasingly vocal critic of the party and her departure will not be a surprise to senior figures.
Last year, Black claimed the Scottish Government has made an "arse" of delivering policies and said the Scottish Parliament has little power to change people's lives.
In a candid podcast interview in 2024 the SNP's former deputy Westminster leader said she believed John Swinney was 'economically right wing' and described late First Minister Alex Salmond as a 'charlatan' for setting up the Alba party.
She also admitted she would not stand to be an MSP. She added: "No, truthfully, because I think I'd be flung out the SNP within a week, just because I'd find too much to disagree with."
Black's walk-out comes ahead of her appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe with a new show, which is described as a "work in progress".
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