Ian Blackford’s resignation as the SNP’s leader at Westminster is a further sign that Nicola Sturgeon’s iron grip on the party is loosening.
The MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber announced that he was standing down after five years in charge of the SNP group in the House of Commons.
It came just two weeks after a coup attempt by SNP MP Stephen Flynn was ruthlessly quashed, with many suspecting that those around the Sturgeon had played a key role in propping Blackford up.
But this only delayed the inevitable, with Blackford finally conceding this morning that his time was up.
Flynn, the MP for Aberdeen South, is now the firm favourite to take over as the nationalists’ Westminster boss.
Sturgeon paid tribute to Blackford’s “diligence, tenacity, friendship and loyalty” and insisted he still had a key role to play in the SNP’s campaign for Scottish independence.
There is little doubt that his removal will lessen the influence that Edinburgh-based Sturgeon will have on how her troops at Westminster conduct their business.
Disquiet among the SNP’s 44 MPs has been growing for some time, with many feeling that they are ignored by party bosses north of the border.
That unhappiness manifested itself in mounting disquiet at Blackford’s leadership.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry - who Blackford beat to become Westminster leader in 2017 and who was sacked from the party’s frontbench after clashing with the leadership over trans rights - said she was “pleased” to see him resign.
In a clear reference to Sturgeon, she added: “I hope the SNP Westminster group will be now left to choose our new leader without outside interference.”
However, another SNP MP rejected the idea that Blackford’s departure is a blow to Sturgeon’s authority.
“Although Nicola was close to Ian, I don’t think she interfered in how he ran the group,” the MP told HuffPost UK. “She’s fairly relaxed about who the next leader is.
“It was time for a change of leadership and a change of approach. Ian’s management of the group had annoyed some people - things like briefing journalists that MPs were being sacked before they knew themselves - so it was time for him to go.”
Nevertheless, with many in the SNP far-from-convinced by Sturgeon’s plan to turn the next general election into a de facto referendum, the departure of her close ally is a headache she could well do without.
