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AN SNP campaigner accused of trolling Charles Kennedy in the weeks before his death has been forced to resign.

Former policeman Brian Smith was instrumental in the campaign of Ian Blackford, the SNP candidate who ousted Kennedy from his Ross, Skye and Lochaber seat.

Smith was panned for a series of disturbing tweets, where he called Kennedy a “drunken slob” and a “Quisling”, suggesting he was a traitor to Scotland.

The Daily Mail reported he was forced to stand down on Thursday night as it emerged he was close friends with Blackford.

Smith is believed to have posted more than 130 messages on Twitter alone, starting his online campaign as far back as 2014.

His abuse was so incessant in the run-up to the election that Kennedy’s campaign team was forced to employ staff to monitor his own Facebook page, from which Smith was blocked..

Among the nasty comments was one accusing Kennedy - who died last week after losing his battle with alcoholism - of being a ‘drunken slob’ moments after he lost his seat.

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Former Labour minister Brian Wilson panned Smith for the nasty campaign against Kennedy and called for action against hom - and his appeal to party boss Nicola Sturgeon appears to have been heard.

In a detailed and damning article in the West Highland Free Press, he states: “Mr Smith’s activities were not confined to any one site. Day after day, he bombarded Charles Kennedy’s Twitter and Facebook sites with allegations, abuse and innuendoes.

“On 27th January, replying to a tweet from Peter Wishart MP, he referred to Mr Kennedy as ‘our own arch-Quisling’.

“Mr Smith sent at least 115 offensive tweets to Charles Kennedy between January and May as well as countless Facebook messages.

“He was not alone. A member of Charles’s constituency staff worked full-time on deleting abuse from his own social media sites. Any attempt to communicate on behalf of his own campaign met with another torrent of well-orchestrated poison.

“His efforts did not go unrewarded. On 8th February, Ian Blackford enthused about the Skye SNP Burns Supper ‘presided over by the inimitable Brian Smith’.

“As the two men follow each other on Facebook and Twitter, it seems inconceivable that Mr Blackford was unaware that his “inimitable” friend was calling Charles Kennedy a Quisling and spreading as much dirt as he could muster about the MP’s ‘problem’.

“As further reward for his efforts, Mr Smith was then made convener of the Skye and Lochalsh SNP branch.”

Wilson adds: “Following Mr Blackford’s victory, Convener Smith was in understandably ecstatic mood.

“So he posted on Facebook: ‘You drunken slob Kennedy. Lies, smears and deceit didn’t work. Bye!!!’

Wilson has warned Nicola Sturgeon to clamp down on the nasty elements in her party.

He says:”It may finally occur to Nicola Sturgeon and her high command that they no longer need the outriders whose appointed role is to threaten, denigrate and abuse anyone who stands in their way.

“It would be a fitting act of respect to Charles Kennedy and the civilised politics he represented if his chief tormentors were now called to account.”

The body of Kennedy, 55, was found by his partner at his home in Fort William earlier this month.

The SNP said Smith accepted his comments were ‘entirely inappropriate’.