ONE of the SNP’s MPs has called for the Yes cause to be “separated” from his party.

Kenny MacAskill said there needed to be a “wider grouping” to lead the campaign for independence.

Writing in The Scotsman, the East Lothian politician said there were some in his party who saw the formation of “a larger Yes movement organisation” as a “threat to either the party or the cause”.

The comments from MacAskill, who is a fierce critic of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s approach to securing a second vote, comes just weeks after the launch of Now Scotland, the national membership organisation established by All Under One Banner.

In his column, the former justice secretary said the SNP’s unpopularity with some voters could put people off backing Yes.

He said Sturgeon needs to “govern the devolved Scotland” and allow a campaigning group “to portray the opportunities for an independent Scotland”.

He added: “Being in administration is not just hard but requires hard choices. Moreover, some recent policy positions and internal tensions have angered some, not just party members.

“So, separating the party of government from the cause of independence is therefore essential.”

In the run-up to the 2014 referendum, Yes Scotland acted as an umbrella body, with SNP, Greens, and SSP members all active on the advisory board.

However, the SNP was responsible for much of the group’s funding, donating £343,000 in start-up costs in mid-2012.

Around a third of Yes Scotland’s £2.4 million income over the regulated period came from the party.

One insider told The National: “It is fair to say that it’s only really the SNP that has the resource and logistical capacity and expertise to run a large-scale physical campaign going into the next referendum.

“While there is lots of great stuff happening – like the output of Business for Scotland – that will be predominantly focused on persuasive materials and social media/media content.”

They said they expected Yes groups to do “important high visibility and engagement work in communities” but the actual “nuts and bolts work of contacting voters will need an organisation that is compliant with electoral law and with the organisational capacity to handle a huge volume of data”.

They added: “There will be many different aspects to the next campaign and different organisations can play to their strengths. The main challenge is to keep unity of purpose ... and not cannibalise ourselves as a movement fighting over ownership of the campaign or messaging. Nobody owns the cause of independence, but [we] do all need to respect how each other can best play their part.”