THE SNP has been accused of launching a second smear attack on Labour in the space of 24 hours.

A day after senior party activist Gail Lythgoe backtracked on allegations against Labour MP Ian Davidson, the head of the party’s youth wing accused Labour peer George Foulkes of being drunk in the House of Lords.

David Linden, the National Convener of SNP Youth and a researcher for Glasgow Shettleston MSP John Mason, posted a Twitter comment stating he was “probably drunk again”.

Labour’s business manager, Paul Martin, said: “How did Mr Linden come to this conclusion? Was he in the Lords? Or did he just make it up to smear him?

“In the last 24 hours, the head of the official SNP youth wing and student wing have both been caught using the internet to conduct dirty tricks against people from other parties.”

Mr Martin said both activists should be suspended and disciplined. “If the party isn’t orchestrating these smears, it is clearly encouraging and condoning them,” he added.

Ms Lythgoe, the head of the SNP’s official student wing, admitted on Tuesday she had gone “too far” after an email accusing Mr Davidson, the chairman of the Scottish Affairs committee, of a “history of bullying, particularly towards females”.

An SNP spokeswoman said Mr Linden had been told “to remove any such post” about Lord Foulkes.