FERGUS Ewing has hinted that he may be set to lose the SNP whip, with reports suggesting he may soon be disciplined by the party.
The veteran MSP has frequently made the headlines in recent months due to his criticism of SNP policy, including opposition to the Bute House Agreement, the deposit return scheme and dubbing the Scottish Greens "wine bar revolutionaries".
More recently, he joined the Tories in signing a letter to the First Minister calling for a pause to the short-term lets licensing scheme.
First Minister Humza Yousaf confirmed on Monday that the SNP's Holyrood group will meet to discuss the party rebel's future.
Now, several “senior sources” have also told the Times newspaper that Ewing is set to be severely disciplined.
It comes after he faced sanction for voting against Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater in a confidence vote.
Ewing hinted in a speech after winning MSP of the Year Award at the Holyrood Magazine garden party on Thursday that he is set to vote against the Scottish Government on the short-term lets legislation.
He also appeared to joke about a future exit, addressing presiding officer Alison Johnstone and asking her to call him to speak in the debating chamber even when he has been sidelined by the SNP.
He joked, after accepting the award: “Presiding Officer, I hope the next time my name is not on the SNP list nonetheless I can catch your eye as a result of that. It might be next week actually… Don’t tell the whips!”
He also spoke of his late mother, Madame Ecosse Winnie Ewing – following the motion of condolence and tributes paid by MSPs recently in Holyrood.
He said: “I did seriously want to thank everybody today at Holyrood but especially the speakers in the motion of condolence to my mother. I thought it was a very emotional occasion for many of us, including myself, but it was the parliament at its best and I was proud of you all.
"So without naming anybody, I would like to thank everybody that took party, everybody that was there and everybody that is in the Scottish parliament that works so hard for Scotland.
“Although, being entirely unbiased, the best speech was made by my sister.”
