The SNP’s media chief has resigned after the party wrongly claimed membership numbers were at around 100,000.

Murray Foote – the party’s head of communications – said in a statement on Friday that agreed party responses which he had issued to the media had “created a serious impediment” to his role.

He said it had become “apparent there are serious issues” with the statements he issued.

Foote had described initial reports that membership had dropped as “drivel”, with the party saying in a separate story in the National that the “figure that was reported is not just flat wrong, it’s wrong by about 30,000”.

However, on Thursday, the party said membership as of February 15 of this year was 72,186 – having fallen from 103,884 in 2021.

The SNP previously said it would only release the information following the outcome of the leadership race later this month, however was pressured to do so earlier by all three candidates vying to become First Minister.

In a statement released on Friday evening, Foote appeared to admit he signed off the statement rubbishing the original story.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Transport Matters