Councillor thrown out of drug deaths meeting
AN SNP councillor was ejected from a meeting about Scotland’s drug deaths crisis as its organiser accused him of ‘ opportunism’.
Graham Campbell, an SNP member of Glasgow City Council, was told to leave a meeting organised by drugs death charity Favor UK, by its head Annemarie Ward.
Speaking to Radio Clyde News after the dramatic incident, she accused Campbell, who represents one of Glasgow’s poorest neighbourhoods, of “lying” about his support for the charity’s campaign to bring down Scotland’s rate of drug deaths – which remains the highest in Europe.
Footage shot by the radio station shows Ward, who helped draft the Scottish Conservatives’ unpublished Right to Rehab Bill, telling the councillor “you have not been there”.
She added: “You showed up for the photographs, that’s it.”
She was then bleeped after appearing to swear at Campbell before telling him to leave the meeting.
Speaking afterwards, Campbell told the broadcaster: “I thought it was over the top, I was not treated like that by the others in the campaign and they did apologise for the conduct.
“I can handle criticism and I expected to hear some criticism because I know that there is the view that Favor has expressed before.
“So I was expecting criticism but I wasn’t expecting that and I think that was uncalled for.”
But Ward – who has stormed out of meetings with the Scottish Government on drug deaths before – accused Campbell of lying about his “support” for her campaign.
She said: “[ Campbell] showed up at two events in the last three years and he’s barely spoke a word to us during those events, he’s not offered any support outside those events.
“As far as I’m concerned he’s showed up to get his photograph taken and to prove that he was there.
“There has been no support, so for him to stand up and say that he’s
supported the campaign since it started is laughable and is beyond lies and manipulation.
“To lie like that is just a complete brass neck.”
Favor had called the
meeting for the launch of its report which called for changes to treatment services for drug users.
The group claimed there was still a “postcode lottery” for treatment.