Angus MacNeil has been suspended by the SNP after he refused to rejoin the party and branded the leadership “clueless.”

Earlier this week, the veteran Na h-Eileanan an Iar MP announced he would sit as an independent after being suspended for a week following a row with chief whip Brendan O'Hara.

READ MORE: Angus MacNeil will not rejoin SNP until party 'pursues independence'

In a stinging letter, Mr MacNeil said he would only stand as the SNP candidate at the next election if there was "clarity on independence" following October's conference. 

He also criticised Nicola Sturgeon's Supreme Court battle, and said the Scottish Government were "utterly clueless about how to pursue independence."

The long-serving MP went further in an interview with The Herald, accusing his colleagues of being keen to "settle down rather than settle up."

An SNP spokesman said: "Angus MacNeil MP was advised by the SNP National Secretary on Wednesday that she considered him to be in breach of the party's code of conduct by his decision to resign from the SNP Westminster parliamentary group.

"Having acknowledged this, Mr MacNeil did not take up the offer to rejoin the SNP parliamentary group and the matter was, therefore, yesterday referred to the SNP Member Conduct Committee for consideration."

Mr MacNeil's row with Mr O'Hara reportedly centred around the MP missing key votes in the House of Commons, including on one occasion where he was on a trip to Qatar.

The Guido Fawkes blog reported that Mr MacNeil shouted: “You’re a small wee man” several times at Mr O’Hara.

READ MORE: Angus MacNeil: Nicola Sturgeon silenced colleagues on independence

Scottish Conservative Chairman Craig Hoy said: “This is further clear-cut evidence that senior SNP politicians are continuing to fling mud at each other. After Angus MacNeil’s scathing criticism of the party’s leadership, they’ve now suspended one of their longest-serving MPs.

“Perhaps Mhairi Black and other SNP MPs need to look closer to home when railing against the toxicity in politics.

“The increasingly bitter infighting is clearly playing a significant role in why SNP MPs are deserting their seats, which sums up their lack of faith in Humza Yousaf’s leadership capacity to fix these internal feuds."