Kezia’s return to office

Clearly, Kezia Dugdale’s trip to the I’m A Celebrity jungle turned out to be a mistake, backfiring both politically and as a televisual event. She lost credibility as a major Scottish Labour figure and was one of the first to be evicted. Any efforts to use the show to promote party values went unnoticed and her constituents were left without an MSP for little, if any, gain.

So her appointment to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body was always going to be controversial, with Linda Fabiani and Christine Grahame, both Deputy Presiding Officers, leading criticism. However, despite her error of judgment, Ms Dugdale remains a significant voice in Scottish politics and cannot be treated as a pariah forever.

The Corporate Body, normally a low-profile affair, hit the headlines recently when it began to look into sexual harassment issues and it was pointed out, by Ms Dugdale among others, that its membership was all-male. Her appointment means there are now two women and three men. If Ms Dugdale can do a good job there and work hard for her constituents, she may still have a future in Scottish politics.