AN SNP politician retweeted a message calling for Joanna Cherry to be expelled from the party amid an ongoing row over trans rights.

Kirsty Blackman, the MP for Aberdeen North, appeared to endorse the post before later deleting her retweet.

It is the latest public spat between the pair.

Asked about the row on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland, Deputy First Minister John Swinney called for “considered and respectful debate”. 

The Herald:

Ms Blackman retweeted a post from another user which read: "If my party truly stands for trans rights and equality, if our stance is truly 'zero tolerance', then it has to start from within. Joanna C must be expelled from the SNP.

"Show the people of Scotland and the rest of the UK that 'zero tolerance' means exactly that." 

The message came after Ms Cherry, the SNP MP for Edinburgh South West, responded to another Twitter user who claimed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon "wants to let lads into women’s spaces". 

Addressing SNP MSP Neil Gray, the user added: "She endorses a man being in charge at rape crisis. She thinks it right that rapists can go into women’s prison.

"Thanks for saying what you have but why not when your colleague @joannaccherry was being threatened?"

Ms Cherry wrote: "Thank you... Misogyny & abuse of women is never ok even when they have been impertinent enough to disagree with the new orthodoxy of queer theory & stick up for their rights. Tackling this problem should start at home."

Ms Cherry was sacked from the SNP's Westminster front bench in February amid deepening divisions in the party. She previously accused Ms Blackman of "lies and smears".

READ MORE: Joanna Cherry accuses colleagues of 'lies and smears' after receiving threat

This morning, she tweeted: "As a lesbian & a feminist I’ve spent a lifetime campaigning for equality & to be clear I support trans rights.

"What I don’t support is the right of any man to self-ID as a woman & access the single sex spaces which the #EqualityAct protects for women & girls.

"The #EqualityAct also makes it unlawful to discriminate against anyone, harass them or victimise them on the grounds of their sex, sexual orientation or beliefs & this law applies to political parties & their representatives as membership organisations."

Ms Blackman later deleted her retweet, adding: "I am clear though, @theSNP needs to do more to tackle internal transphobia, including sanctioning or expelling those in the party who are transphobic."

Appearing on Good Morning Scotland, Mr Swinney was asked if he would have retweeted the message.

He said: "No, I wouldn't retweet that. I think these are very difficult and sensitive issues and I think the most important thing is that we have a considered and a respectful debate about all of these questions and that people listen carefully to the views of others, that we listen carefully to the views of those in the trans community who face significant challenges, and that we work out arrangements that can best address their circumstances while protecting the rights of women and girls which are absolutely precious in our society today and everyday."