Sturgeon ‘aware of concern’ about chief whip

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed she was aware of concerns about SNP chief whip Patrick Grady before a formal sexual harassment complaint was made about him.

The Glasgow North MP stood aside from his Westminster role following claims he groped two male researchers at an SNP Christmas party in 2016.

Further allegations have also emerged about claims that Mr Grady, 41, “inappropriately ” touched an SNP staff member, then aged 19, in a London pub.

It has since been claimed the first minister was told about Mr Grady’s alleged behaviour by Alex Salmond at the same April 2, 2018, meeting that he first disclosed details of the sexual harassment investigation into himself.

Speaking at the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefing, she confirmed that a formal complaint had received but refused to elaborate on how long she has known about the allegations.

Asked when and where she first learned of the claims against Mr Grady, she said: “I would have had an awareness previously of a concern, but not a formal complaint.

“I’m not going to say more than that because due process requires that an investigation is allowed to take its course.”

The Daily Record has reported that the staff member involved in the allegation also claims a complaint he made about being sexually harassed by a female SNP MP in the Commons’ Strangers Bar in 2020 was ignored by Mr Grady.

An SNP spokesman previously confirmed a complaint had been made but said the party would not comment while the investigation was carried out.

Pupils should get a “personal comeback plan” with a mental health assessment when they return to school following lockdown, Anas Sarwar has said.

The Scottish Labour leader has called for all schoolchildren’s progress and mental welfare to be assessed as part of the coronavirus recovery.

In his first major speech since he was elected leader, Mr Sarwar stressed that recovering from the impact of the coronavirus should be Scotland’s priority, rather than another independence referendum.

He said Scottish Labour’s manifesto going into the Holyrood elections in May will be a “national recovery plan”, focusing on the health service, education, jobs, communities and the environment.

Addressing the impact of lockdown on pupils’ education, Mr Sarwar said the country has a “moral imperative to ensure that our next generation do not carry the weight of the pandemic”.

Outlining proposals for guaranteed exam resits, free college places and activities for children during the summer, he said: “This is a plan that delivers hope for our young people, restores Scottish education, supports teachers, and makes sure that every child has the right to a decent start in life.

“It includes a tutoring programme which must be led nationally and resourced by the Scottish Government.

“We believe there should be a personal comeback plan for every pupil, based on a needsbased assessment, and combined with a mental health assessment.

“For those young people who have missed out on examinations this year, we believe there should be a resit guarantee with a free place at college to take national qualifications.”