John Mason, the controversial MSP for Glasgow Shettleston has been expelled by the SNP.

The 67-year-old backbencher has become infamous over the years for a series of gaffes, and has now been kicked out of the party, though he has indicated he could appeal.

Here's what you need to know about Mr Mason.

Who is John Mason?

He's been the SNP MSP for Glasgow Shettleston since 2011, having previously been the MP for Glasgow East.

He's also an accountant, and spent three years in Nepal working for an NGO before going into politics.

Mr Mason says he expects to stand down from Holyrood at the next election.

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Why is he in the news?

He's been expelled by the SNP for comments he made on social media about the death toll of Palestinians in Gaza.

Responding to accusations that Israel, whose deputy ambassador he recently met in Edinburgh, is engaged in a genocide in territory it occupies he wrote: "If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many."

Those comments sparked a huge backlash, including from within his own party.

What have the SNP said?

At the time of his suspension, a spokesperson for the chief whip said: "To flippantly dismiss the death of more than 40,000 Palestinians is completely unacceptable. There can be no room in the SNP for this kind of intolerance.

"The chief whip has today withdrawn the whip from John Mason MSP with immediate effect, pending internal Parliamentary Group due process.

"The SNP Group will now meet to discuss the matter, with a recommendation that the whip be suspended from John Mason for a fixed period of time because of this utterly abhorrent comment."

John MasonJohn Mason

Is this the first time he's caused controversy?

Far from it.

In February 2013, Mr Mason stated that he did not believe that same-sex couples should engage in sexual intercourse, on the basis "the Bible is the word of God and its teachings are God’s direction as to how I should live my life".

In a letter to The Herald in 2018, following consultations on proposed changes to gender recognition, he wrote: "Does science have anything to say about this? Is there an objective test as to who is male and who is female? Or is this a subjective question and science should have no involvement?

"It does seem to me that normally science can tell at birth whether a human being or an animal is male or female. Are we trying to override science by saying it is possible for males to become females and females to become males?"

John Mason at a 'pro-life' protestJohn Mason at a 'pro-life' protest (Image: Gemma Clark)

His call to follow scientific evidence followed his submission of a Holyrood motion in 2015 urging the teaching of Biblical creation in schools.

Mr Mason said: "Some people believe that God created the world in six days, some people believe that God created the world over a longer period of time and some people believe that the world came about without anyone creating it... none of these positions can be proved or disproved by science."

In 2018, the Glasgow Shettleston MSP responded to a Celtic supporter who was concerned about disabled access to the team's stadium by saying: "Could you think about supporting a smaller more local club that would appreciate your adding to their crowd?”

Mr Mason, who is a Clyde fan, explained that the email was part of a wider discussion and that he was merely saying he "would like to see more fans considering supporting smaller more local teams".

He returned to his comments on gay sex in 2020, saying during a debate on the Hate Crime Bill: "Patrick Harvie and I can continue to debate who should or should not have sex with whom... That is a sign of a healthy society and a healthy democracy."

Two years earlier he had said he did not agree with "retrospective pardons and apologies" for those convicted of homosexuality when it was criminalised, asking "will the Italians be apologising for the Roman occupation?".

Mr Mason is an opponent of abortion and has attended anti-abortion protests outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and on Lothian Road in Edinburgh.

The MSP was accused of 'hijacking' plans for a baby loss memorial book by inserting an anti-abortion motion in 2023.

He also received criticism for keeping his constituency office open during the Covid-19 lockdown.

During his suspension from the SNP he attended buffer zone protests at Holyrood.