ROSS Greer has said that he had to be hospitalised twice due to “bullying” within the Scottish Greens.
The West of Scotland MSP told The Herald that he considered stepping down and even started drafting a resignation letter to co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater last Christmas.
He said the bullying consisted of regular anonymous "briefings, leaks and smears" to the press, starting in 2021, and led to gradually worsening chest pain.
"If you go back to 2021 when we were negotiating the Bute House Agreement. I was leading those negotiations. Private messages...ended up on the front page of a newspaper," Greer said.
"One of the things which was leaked was information about my personal security. For me I am willing to put up with a lot of what comes with being a politician, a public figure, but it is very hard if your life in the outside world is difficult because of your job and you can't even feel safe within your own party.
He added: "I did share the toll that the security situation was taking with me with other members of my party and then it was printed in The Sun. That feels very violating.
"The threats were taking a toll on me anyway. But then to not feel I could have an honest conversation with people in my party made it much more difficult."
The 31-year-old, who is currently running to be one of the party’s new co-leaders, said he doesn't know who is responsible but that he is also “far from the only person targeted".
“Given the scale of the leaking and smearing that was directed at me, I came very close to resigning from the party and from parliament,” he said.
“I drafted a letter of resignation to Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater to explain that I had still undoubtedly believed in what the party believed but I that point I thought I was going to reach my limit and that I wouldn't be able to continue because of the toll it was taking on me and the toll it was taking on people around me.”
Greer added: "I was hospitalised twice. Stress with me manifested itself as physical chest pains. Obviously my job causes stress, and my security situation causes stress, but I am absolutely sure it was the situation within the party that spilled over into the point where the chest pains needed me to go to hospital."
