An internal investigation has been launched into the SNP’s Eastwood branch ahead of the selection of a candidate to take on sitting Labour MSP Ken Macintosh at next year’s Scottish Parliament elections.

Claims have been made that East Renfrewshire councillor Vincent Waters and West of Scotland regional list MSP Stewart Maxwell are at loggerheads.

Mr Maxwell, a former Scottish Government minister, has twice taken on Mr Macintosh in Scottish Parliament elections and twice come third, behind Conservative list MSP Jackson Carlaw.

Mr Waters, who is chairman of East Renfrewshire Council’s Environment Committee, is understood to have been eyeing the seat but failed the party’s internal vetting procedure and was not permitted to seek nomination by the Eastwood branch.

Members will now be asked at a meeting tonight whether to approve or reject sole nominee Mr Maxwell as the candidate.

The Evening Times understand Mr Maxwell and Mr Waters fought a bruising battle for support in the run up to nominations, which has split the Eastwood branch.

One local party member, who asked not to be named, said the branch is in “complete disarray”.

They said: “I witnessed overt factions and aggressive, intimidating behaviour. Indeed, I was astonished to witness some older members of the branch, who have worked tirelessly for over fifty years, visibly upset at the level and the content of abusive allegations which were made.”

The SNP’s National Secretary Patrick Grady, who was elected as Glasgow North MP in May, has now ordered a probe into unrest at the Eastwood branch, to be led by longstanding Member of the European Parliament Alyn Smith.

In an email to party members, seen by the Evening Times, Mr Smith, who is convenor of the Disputes Committee, asked for “any evidence you think would be helpful to the committee in our deliberations”.

Mr Smith said a constituency meeting would be held so that members could also offer “oral evidence” and he would then report back to Mr Grady and the SNP’s National Executive Committee.

He added: “I would hope to have our report concluded by the end of July, though this will of course depend upon the evidence and our findings.”

Conservative MSP for the West of Scotland, Jackson Carlaw, accused some in the Eastwood SNP branch of “losing sight of the fact that elections are about issues of substance”.

He added: “In my experience the electorate rarely respond positively to the vaulting ambitions of those who consider themselves more important.”

The Evening Times contacted Mr Waters and Mr Maxwell for comment but they did not respond.

A spokesman for the SNP said: “This is an internal party matter.”