THE SNP needs “a good shake” to snap it out of its infighting, Humza Yousaf has said.

The Justice Secretary said the party had “never been closer” to its goal of independence and needed to focus on that instead of bickering.

In recent months, the party has seen feuding among senior figures over candidate selections for next year’s Holyrood election, the competence of its ruling National Executive Committee, and the best route to Independence and possible alternatives to Indyref2.

There is also long-running tension over women's rights and reforms to the Gender Recognition Act.

Speaking to Holyrood magazine, Mr Yousaf expressed frustration about the squabbling within the SNP and the wider Yes movement.

He said: “I feel like if the party was a person, I'd just grab it by the shoulders and give them a good shake, and just say to the party, ‘Just pull yourself together here’.

“I've been in the party for 15 years, many people have been far longer than me, but in the 15 years that I've been the party, we have never ever been closer to our goal.”

The Justice Secretary also defended his government’s Hate Crime Bill, which has been widely attacked as a threat to free speech.

Last week Mr Yousaf, who is piloting the Bill through Holyrood, vowed to reflect on concerns raised by authors, artists and comedians, including actor Rowan Atkinson and crime writer Val McDermid.

They warned the criminalisation of behaviour which was likely to "stir up" hatred, even if accidental, could hamper artistic expression.

The Scottish Police Federation last month said the Bill was so vague it could “paralyse freedom of speech”, while the Law Society of Scotland said it had “major flaws”.

Mr Yousaf said the Bill would not criminalise author JK Rowling for discussing women and transgender rights, something which recently saw her labelled as transphobic. 

He said: “If you were to say a trans man is not a real man or trans woman is not a real woman, you would not be prosecuted under the Bill... so long as you didn't do it in a threatening or abusive way that is intended or likely stir up hatred.

“If I went up to a trans man, put them up against the wall and said, ‘You’re not a real man,’ or burst into a meeting with 100 people, and it was a meeting of trans men, and said, ‘Trans men are not real men,’ then potentially, you know, if I was being threatening or abusive and likely to stir up hatred, then I would be committing a crime.

“But JK Rowling putting out a tweet as she did, expressing her views, would just not be prosecuted under the hate crime bill.”

Free to Disagree, which opposes the Bill, said its loose language meant Ms Rowling’s critics could still allege she had stirred up hatred, regardless of what Mr Yousaf said, and said his other, violent examples were covered by existing laws.

A spokesman said: “We accept that Mr Yousaf does not intend to curb free speech. However, he cannot deny the serious problems with his proposals."