THE SNP has been rocked in key election target area as one of its councillor announces she has quit the party on eve of the campaign, accusing party headquarters of turning a blind eye to bullying.

In a re-eruption of the bitter feud which has torn apart the SNP in Lanarkshire, Julie McAnulty, whose whistleblowing played a role in several council corruption probes, said she had been forced out of the party by a "self-serving cabal" which she said had left local branches "in chaos".

She said SNP bosses had refused to intervene and indeed "punished those who dare to speak out about the trouble within our party".

Ms McAnulty had been approved as a candidate following party vetting but was not selected by her Coatbridge and Chryston SNP branch.

She was reinstated to the party last August following a six-month administrative suspension following an allegation of racism, which she was cleared of by watchdogs and is pursuing a defamation action at the Court of Session.

Ms McAnulty, who had been behind several whistleblowing supporters have said she is the victim of a smear campaign to damage her reputation.

One of the key figures in Ms McAnulty's branch is Dr Imtiaz Majid, who previously failed to pass SNP vetting for inclusion on the party's list of approved candidates for the May 4 poll.

Dr Majid was heavily criticised by a sheriff last year for trying to cheat his ex-wife out of a fair divorce settlement by hiding assets and claiming to have lost a fortune a gambling addiction.

He was one of a number of councillors linked to the so-called "Monklands McMafia" feud de-selected as the SNP attempted to get to grips with the local party.

Announcing she would be standing as an independent in the Coatbridge North ward, Ms McAnulty said her brand had been "hijacked by a small but powerful cabal of people who are completely self serving and despite the most appalling behaviour, seem completely impervious to any form of censure".

She added: "I and other people have tried to fight this from the inside. We have been partially successful, but we have been no match for SNP HQ, who have either turned a blind eye or punished those who dare to speak out about the trouble within our party.

"In one of the few areas that voted Yes, North Lanarkshire, we are in chaos and HQ refuses to intervene to stop the culture of bullying that is responsible for it.

"Public office is a privilege, not a right. It is an office that can be held with honour and in all that I have done over the past five years, whether it was reporting the leader of the council to the Standards Commission or going to the Counter Corruption Unit, I have always acted for those whom I represent, whatever the cost to myself.

"That has led me to my ostracization and deselection. I do not regret it, but it grieves me that I now must leave and fight from the outside for what I believe in."

Fulton MacGregor MSP, who recently sparked criticism after he posed alongside Dr Majid for the launch of the SNP’s local government election campaign, told a local newspaper the team in Coatbridge "is the biggest and strongest ever fielded for local elections".

He said: “Never before have the people of Coatbridge had such an opportunity to elect an SNP council, and I’m delighted that we have such a capable team looking to represent our town.”