Pete Wishart has been a devoted servant to his constituency and party. Never one to wash the SNP’s dirty linen in public.
But his scathing letter to new Westminster leader Stephen Flynn was a strong indication that not all is well behind closed doors.
Crucially, Mr Wishart’s rebuke was also another strong public claim
Mr Flynn had been testing the waters to replace Ian Blackford behind closed doors.
No more than three weeks ago, the new SNP House of Commons chief denied he was plotting to oust his old boss and take over.
So plenty of eyebrows were raised when he eagerly threw his hat into the ring to replace the departing Mr Blackford last Sunday.
Perthshire MP Mr Wishart backed rival candidate Alison Thewliss – seen as Nicola Sturgeon’s preferred choice – during the blink-and-you’d-miss-it campaign to replace
Mr Blackford.
That such a loyal SNP veteran was so vocal in his departure from the frontbenches indicates the scale of his anger over how Mr Flynn secured the top job.
It indicates the new party boss has a tough job on his hands to prove his doubters wrong.
Stephen Flynn may wish he had politicians like Pete Wishart around him
In his letter, Pete Wishart raised some key concerns which will now inevitably linger over Stephen Flynn.
Sceptics will ask: What does he offer that Mr Blackford did not?
Was new leadership needed at all?
Was this just a power play for the sake of personal advancement?
So far, he has been unable to really answer what he will do differently from his predecessor.
Instead he is trying to maintain an implausible front of unity.
Despite his upset, Mr Wishart ended his letter by insisting he will still give “full support” to his new boss.
In time, Mr Flynn may come to wish that support from a respected party grandee was coming from alongside him on the frontbenches.
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