Labour candidate suspended from party in wake of racist tweet row
SCOTTISH Labour General Election candidate Wilma Brown has been suspended from the party after she shared “dozens” of offensive tweets on social media.
The Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy candidate was found to have liked and reposted a swathe of “racist, Islamophobic and transphobic” posts on Twitter/X on Tuesday.
These included posts claiming that Scottish Government aid to Gaza was going to Hamas, and messages that featured the debunked viral claim that Humza Yousaf had said there are “too many white people in Scotland”.
Last month, Ms Brown also liked a racist post telling an Indian man who was expressing his love for England and its flag “you will NEVER be an Englishman” and “it is not your flag”.
She has additionally been found to have liked posts claiming trans broadcaster India Willoughby “incited trans activists” to “harass” TV judge Robert Rinder as well as tweets suggesting JK Rowling had “slain” the trans movement.
Elsewhere, she has shared posts calling for the abolition of the Scottish Parliament or for it to be placed “under special measures by the British Government”.
Ms Brown has now deleted her Twitter account.
The party has opted to suspend her pending the outcome of any investigation, it is understood.
A private Twitter/X account for her local campaign also appears to have vanished.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party takes all complaints seriously.
“They are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate action is taken.”
The tweets shared and liked by Ms Brown have been branded “deeply offensive”
by the SNP’s Keith Brown, who has called for Labour leader Keir Starmer to explain how she was allowed to become a candidate.
Green MSP Maggie Chapman said while it is right Ms Brown has been suspended, the revelations bring Labour’s whole selection process into question.
She said: “It’s shocking that Labour put up someone with such openly ignorant, bigoted and racist views to represent the people of Scotland.
“It’s right that Wilma Brown has now been suspended, but if she managed to get selected we obviously have to question the competence of Labour’s whole selection process.
“How can anyone trust a process that tried to place these beliefs into a position of such prominence and power?”
Ms Brown has not provided any comment.