SNP MP who defected to Tories ‘forced into hiding’ under threat

Dr Cameron, aged 51, also reported threats of being “bricked in the street”, “I hope you burn” and pledges of further abuse to follow.

She left the SNP ahead of a selection meeting to pick the next candidate for the constituency that she serves when it appeared that she was about to be deselected.

SNP staffer Grant Costello was being supported in his bid to run on the ticket by Scottish Government minister Christina McKelvie and also former East Kilbride MSPs, Collette Stevenson and Linda Fabiani.

That has now been ratified as confirmed by the party, whilst Costello stated on his Twitter account:

“I am honoured to have been chosen to be the SNP’s candidate here in EK and Strathaven, the place I’m proud to call home.”

“This is an incredible part of Scotland and I will work tirelessly to stand up for families across the constituency and deliver for our communities.”

SNP defection to Tories strikes another blow to Yousaf

This latest development comes on the eve of the SNP’s 2023 conference to be held in Aberdeen from Sunday October 14 to Tuesday October 17.

Cameron’s flit to the Scottish Tories comes just a matter of days after Labour won the Westminster seat for Rutherglen and Hamilton West in a byelection triggered by the downfall of SNP’s Margaret Ferrier who was suspended by the party over breaches of Covid regulations. She was later arrested and charged by Police Scotland for culpable and reckless conduct.

As they move into their conference, the SNP are also struggling to agree an agreed proposal to seek a mandate for new independence negotiations with Westminster following the general election. Yousaf wants to pursue a united front but it is clear that there is more than friction within the party ranks.

They have plenty to discuss and react to, that is for sure.

As for Cameron, a former NHS clinical psychologist who has been an MP since 2015, she detailed feeling “isolated” in the SNP bubble at parliament in London where there was an element of “fear and intimidation”.

She defended the teenage victim of unwanted sexual advances from SNP MP Patrick Grady and stated that the treatment he received was “irreconcilable with my values”, which are reflected in her membership of the Free Church of Scotland.

She would have been aligned to the ‘small c’ conservative wing of the party, which includes Kate Forbes who ran a high-profile campaign for the leadership of the SNP but was pipped by Yousaf to replace Nicola Sturgeon,

Cameron felt her views would not be welcomed in the Labour Party, yet there will obviously be some scepticism at how a sitting MP can move from a pro-independence party to one which is firmly pro-Unionist, as well as the democratic deficit that remains with the retention of her seat.