JOANNA Cherry has quit the ruling body of the SNP.
The MP announced her decision to step down from the National Executive Committee (NEC) this afternoon on social media.
She is the second member of the party to do so in recent days citing problems with transparency, following Douglas Chapman MP announcing he was resigning as Treasurer on Saturday.
Mr Chapman, MP for Dunfermline & West Fife, said he was stepping down as he had been unable to access information about finances within the party that he said he needed to make changes to transparency.
Ms Cherry, who was sacked from the SNP's front bench at Westminster earlier this year, said she was quitting as she had been prevented from doing her job on the panel, also citing transparency issues.
On Twitter Ms Cherry wrote: "I’ve resigned from the NEC of @theSNP
"A number of factors have prevented me from fulfilling the mandate party members gave me to improve transparency & scrutiny & to uphold the party’s constitution.
"I won’t be making any further comment at this stage."
The move also comes following the resignation of former MSP Marco Biagi from the head of the SNP's independence task force.
Mr Biagi posted on social media over the weekend that the position had gone from being a good job to one of the worst he had ever had.
SNP sources told The Herald Mr Biagi had been ineffective in the role, while other senior figures said Mr Chapman had resigned as he did not work well with the leadership of the party and had positioned himself as an "anti-establishment figure".
He was also described as 'malcontent'.
Joanna Cherry, once considered by some to be a future leadership contender for the SNP, was elected to the NEC in November.
She and Mr Chapman were both advocating for greater transparency within the party, a larger role for members and a greater sense of urgency around Scottish independence as part of the party's internal Common Weal group.
Ian Murray, Labour MP and the shadow Scottish secretary, said the move was a sign the SNP was in crisis.
He said: “Losing one member of your National Executive is careless.
“Losing three members of your Finance Committee, your Treasurer and a member of your National Executive probably indicates a party in crisis.
“The SNP have long been gripped by a kind of centralism and secrecy that would make Lenin blush.
“From the failure to provide basic answers on what an independent Scotland would use as a currency, to the radio silence on what is going on in the party’s bank account - the people of Scotland deserve answers now.”
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