A SENIOR SNP MP who is at the centre of bullying allegations in her own office is the "Boris" of the Yes movement, according to a senior party source.
The insider said Joanna Cherry and Boris Johnson - the Tory populist tipped to be the next Prime Minister - are both divisive figures politically who are unlikely to unify their parties.
Cherry, who is the party’s home affairs and justice spokesperson at Westminster, was last week accused of condoning alleged bullying of employees by her office manager and friend Fraser Thompson.
READ MORE: The Joanna Cherry imbroglio and how we got to here
The complaints were lodged with the House of Commons human resources team last year, but have not been resolved.
Responding to the claims, Cherry, a QC, said last Sunday: “Lies are being told about me in some newspapers today. At present I’m not able to give my side of the story. I hope to be in a position to do so soon.”
She also said: “I am not and never have been a bully. Fraser Thompson is not a bully either. I believe these to be politically motivated smears.”
She also hit out at what she described as party "infighting" amid claims of "back-stabbing".
Her claims led to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon intervening in the row, where she complimented Cherry but denied there was infighting.
Cherry, who was a political ally of Alex Salmond when he was an MP, is believed to be a potential successor to Sturgeon and may try to get selected for a seat at Holyrood ahead of the 2021 election.
Cherry last week “liked” a post on Twitter which contained a link to an article speculating on Sturgeon’s departure from office.
A senior SNP source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said of Cherry: “She is the Boris of the movement.”
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The party figure said Johnson and Cherry appealed to sections of their party’s grassroots and are a headache for their respective leaderships.
“She is a capable communicator and a good populist, but she is unlikely to unify,” the source added.
In an article last week, Cherry criticised newspaper coverage of SNP figures who spoke out against Nationalists who are aggressive online.
She wrote: “The so-called ‘War on Cybernats’ last weekend was unnecessary and has really upset our core support. The small minority of independence supporters who behave badly on social media are not the responsibility of the SNP.
“They are part of the wider problem of social media abuse which all politicians should call out.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “These comments are both ridiculous and unacceptable. Any SNP member who cares about protecting Scotland from the damage of Brexit - and the risk of a Johnson government - should be out campaigning to stop Brexit with a vote for the SNP on Thursday, rather than name-calling.”
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