Swinney: SNP has no trouble with women

FIRST Minister John Swinney has been forced to deny the SNP has a problem with women as he tried to link criticism of Nicola Sturgeon to sexism.

- By Douglas Dickie

Of 23 Nationalist MSPs who are throwing in the towel at Holyrood next year, 14 are women, raising questions about the atmos- phere in the party for females.

The likes of Joanna Cherry has already alleged to have been the victim of bullying in the SNP.

She insists she was targeted due to her views on gender and desire to protect female-only spaces from biological men, with the trans debate threatening to rip the SNP apart.

Mr Swinney was probed on the disparity on Monday and tried to shift the focus elsewhere.