Tory MSP in prisoner votes row facing Holyrood ban
● Wells denies leaking report ● MSPS to endorse ban next week
A Tory MSP facing a five day ban from Holyrood has denied that she “leaked” a committee report on prisoner voting.
Annie Wells was found to have breached Scottish Parliament rules by making comments in the media about a report which called for an end to the current ban on Scots inmates having the vote.
It came before the findings of a report by Holyrood’s equalities and human rights committee had been formally published.
Ms Wells – who sits on the committee – had objected to its recommendations.
The report proved controversial with Nicola Sturgeon later voicing concerns about the prospect of “heinous” offenders like killers being handed the vote.
Holyrood’s standards committee yesterday considered a complaint by Nationalist Gail Ross that the Tory MSP sought “political advantage” by making public comments on the report.
Committee convenor Bill Kidd said it backed the findings of the Standards commissioner that Ms Wells breached the MSPS code of conduct by making public press comment in advance of publication of the report.
“The committee considers that the breaches justifies imposition of sanctions on Annie Wells,” he added.
“I propose that the committee will recommend in its report that the Parliament
0 Annie Wells was found to have breached Scottish Parliament rules
excludes Annie Wells MSP from all meetings of the Parliament and all meetings of its committees for five sitting days.”
The exclusion was unanimously agreed by the committee and is expected to be formally backed by all MSPS in the Scottish Parliament next week. But Ms Wells insisted she only responded to reports which were already in the public domain.
“Numerous media outlets contacted our office seeking comment on a story on the front page of a national newspaper that morning on prisoner voting,” the MSP said yesterday.
“So I responded to that, as every MSP would, by issuing a statement to them reiterating my opposition to allowing prisoners voting rights.
“My response did not contain details of the report that weren’t already known, nor was I responsible for the original leak of the document to the paper, and we still don’t know who was.
“Indeed, I did not receive the final report until after it had featured in the national media.
“I will continue to work on behalf of my constituents and I will continue to oppose giving prisoners voting rights.”