AN MP sacked less than a year ago as the SNP's chief whip at Westminster has returned to the role under as Stephen Flynn reshuffles his top team ahead of the general election expected next year.

Owen Thompson was asked to step down from the post in December last year following Mr Flynn's election as the leader of the party in the Commons.

But his successor Martin Docherty-Hughes remained in the position of chief whip for just six weeks and stepped down citing pressures it was demanding of his time.

The MP for West Dunbartonshire was replaced by Argyll and Bute MP Brendan O'Hara but Mr O'Hara himself hit the headlines following a bust up with with Angus Brendan MacNeil, which resulted in the Western Isles MP having the whip suspended, refusing to rejoin the group after a week’s suspension and eventually being thrown out of the party. 

READ MORE: Flynn reshuffles SNP frontbench team of MPs but no return for Cherry

Mr MacNeil will now stand as an independent against the SNP at the general election. Mr O'Hara takes on the role of foreign affairs in the reshuffle. 

Mr Thompson's return to the position of chief whip is likely to be a move by Mr Flynn to seek to bring stability to such a key role in charge of internal disciplinary matters after a period of upheaval and when there is a growing demand for party unity ahead of the general election.

The Herald:

SNP MP Owen Thompson returns to the role of the party's chief whip at Westminster less than a year after he was sacked from the post.

The development was noted by Mr MacNeil who wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter: "Very sensible of SNP at Westminster to return the wise and stable Owen Thompson as their chief whip."

In other changes, two senior MPs who are stepping down at polling day have been replaced with colleagues who will be fighting to stay on.

Stewart Hosie, the party's former deputy leader, believed to be a key ally of Mr Flynn, has been replaced as economy spokesman by Drew Hendry, while Philippa Whitford has been replaced by Tommy Sheppard as spokesman on Scotland.

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Mhairi Black, who remains deputy leader, is the only of the eight MPs who will stand down at the end of this parliamentary term to be part of Mr Flynn’s new frontbench. 

Other MPs who hope to return to their seats at the general election have been promoted including Amy Callaghan who joins the frontbench as health spokeswoman replacing Martin Day, who leaves the frontbench, and Anum Qaisar, who takes over as levelling up spokesperson from Chris Stephens. Mr Stephens has been appointed to the role of justice and immigration spokesman with Stuart McDonald sacked from the role.

The exit of Mr McDonald, who was appointed SNP treasurer after Colin Beattie was arrested, interviewed and released without charge by detectives investigating the party’s finances, may unsettle some in the group who see him as a reliable and loyal pair of hands.

The promotions for Ms Callaghan and Ms Qaisar will see the two women receive a higher public profile with both facing fights to hold on to their marginal seats of East Dunbartonshire and Airdrie and Shotts respectively.

In a statement issued alongside the reshuffle Mr Flynn said his new team would “continue to put the Westminster-made cost of living crisis at the forefront of our work”.

He said that his MPs would “pile pressure on the UK government to help families with the cost of living, whilst renewing the positive case for independence in Europe, and investment in Scotland’s enormous renewable energy potential, as the best route to securing strong and sustained economic growth”.

He added: “The SNP is the party with a plan to deliver strong economic growth — and reduce the cost of living. Scotland is an energy rich country with huge resources. By rejoining the EU, and investing in the renewable energy gold rush, we can build a wealthier, greener and fairer future.”

Craig Hoy, the Scottish Conservative chairman, criticised the decision to appoint Steven Bonnar as the spokesman for the environment, farming, agriculture and rural affairs despite representing an urban seat and having shown no previous interest in the brief.

“These superficial changes simply show how divided the SNP still are — and he’s even dropped the newly appointed party treasurer from his team. 

"The continuing disregard for rural Scotland is apparent, too, with the MP for Coatbridge taking that role,” Mr Hoy said.

“Meanwhile [Flynn’s] instructions that his MPs should concentrate on the economy and not independence obviously haven’t made it to Humza Yousaf, who would rather go to rallies for the faithful than fix the mess the SNP has created in Scotland’s public services.”

MPs Pete Wishart, Stewart McDonald and Chris Law, who left the SNP frontbench at Westminster after Mr Flynn succeeded Ian Blackford as group leader have not returned to the top team.

Joanna Cherry, who was sacked by Mr Blackford at the party's justice and home affairs spokeswoman in January 2021, has also not returned.  She has previously said she would be not wish to serve on the front bench while she is chair of the Commons's human rights committee.