An outgoing columnist fired a parting shot at “keyboard warriors” as he left a daily newspaper following an “offensive” tweet.

Iain Macwhirter has said farewell to Glasgow-based daily The Herald after what he termed a “hell of a ride” lasting 22 years.

Iain, pictured, left following into an investigation into a Twitter thread about the fact that none of the great offices of state are held by white men, in which he used the derogatory term “the coconut cabinet”.

The Herald concluded there was no “racist intent” in what he wrote, but found it was “offensive and unacceptable”.

Iain had apologised for the remarks, but it was “mutually agreed” that Sunday’s column would be his last.

In the column, Iain discussed the Scottish independence debate, saying: “Journalism dies the moment it becomes the handmaiden of special interests, whether corporate or political.

“The Herald continues to subject the Scottish Government to rigorous scrutiny as it should and must over issues like the educational attainment gap, gender reforms, BiFab, and ferry contracts.

“What keyboard warriors fail to realise is that drawing a polite veil over the misadventures of the Scottish Government does not assist the cause Scottish independence. It demeans it.”

Describing the impact of social media as the biggest change in journalism in his years in the trade, he added “the world has turned and I must turn with it”.

“Newspapers have had to struggle to survive as internet behemoths robbed them of advertising revenue at the same time as plagiarising their content to steal readers,” he said.

“I am immensely grateful for my years in The Herald community. It’s been a hell of a ride.

“Thanks to my readers over the years and apologies for any messages that got lost in translation.”