THE SNP has been forced to hire bouncers for one of its most dysfunctional branches.

The party last week used private security guards to police a meeting of the Coatbridge & Chryston branch, which was suspended earlier this year because of vicious in-fighting.

The last time the Coatbridge SNP met, in January, there was an angry walk-out, with members calling each other “misogynist”, “racist” and “animals”.

National Secretary Patrick Grady suspended the branch, saying “a culture of mistrust” had created a “toxic” environment in which “the level of discord is intolerable”.

On Wednesday, party bosses held a peace meeting, designed to help patch up past differences and restore the branch to normality after the seven-month shutdown.

Ochil MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh presided over the event, with Audrey Brit, a consultant specialising in “heartful leadership”, running workshops on better manners.

But some of those at the packed gathering in Coatbridge Community Centre were shocked to see a private security squad stationed at the door and the back of the hall.

The party insisted the bouncers were only there "to ensure it was a SNP members only event”, but insiders said it was unheard of for a routine meeting, and highlighted the tension in the branch.

One source said: “It’s highly irregular. I’ve never seen bouncers at a branch meeting. It’s total paranoia on the part of SNP HQ.”

A Labour spokesman said: "While Labour are fighting to protect services at the Monklands Hospital, the SNP Coatbridge branch are having to hire bouncers to stop them fighting each other. People must be sick of seeing these headlines from the SNP."

The problems in Coatbridge are part of the wider split in the SNP across Lanarkshire known as the “Monklands McMafia” affair.

The McMafia is the nickname for an SNP old guard close to Uddingston & Bellshill MSP Richard Lyle, whose daughter Marina is also a local councillor.

The group are locked in a power struggle with a younger, more progressive faction linked to Phil Boswell, the new MP for Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill.

The feud is currently centred on selections for next year’s local elections, with Lyle, a former North Lanarkshire councillor, promoting a slew of cronies as candidates.

The MSP was this week accused of a “stitch-up” after his allies were elected to run the Uddingston & Bellshill branch at its AGM on Thursday.

Before the meeting, Lyle pal Ramsay Millar circulated a list of names and asked members to back them for 16 specific posts on the branch executive – all were duly elected.

The new office bearers include Millar as convener and Lyle employees Jordan Linden as vice-convener and Sheena McCulloch as secretary.

Lyle’s daughter is the new organiser, and his election agent Eddie Corsan is treasurer.

Millar told the Sunday Herald: “This [list] was discussed with several people, yes. There’s nothing strange in that. This is politics we’re talking about.

“It’s no secret that Richard [Lyle] asked me to put my name up and I agreed. It was quite democratic.”

However SNP councillor David Baird walked out the meeting in disgust at the proceedings.

Millar said there was “a bit of disruption” but nothing serious, and denied being a Lyle puppet.

He said. “Richard Lyle will not be working me from the back. That is not the way I operate. I have a great relationship with Richard Lyle. He can get on with his job being constituency MSP and I will get on with my job of being the convener of the branch. I’m nobody’s stooge.”

He went on: “The only people who say it was a stitch-up were the people who did not get elected. There’s a lot of sour grapes. At the end of the day there were 80 people in that hall and everyone got a vote and every position was voted on.”

Lyle confirmed he urged Millar to stand, but denied orchestrating the branch selections.

He said: “I was not involved in any selection. I was not involved in the process. I’m happy to be the MSP. As far as I’m concerned the branch is together and we move forward.”