Minister in harassment row told to quit as SP
Holyrood is rocked as SNP politician resigns senior post and Labour MSP reveals she was victim of sex attack
A HOLYROOD minister who resigned amid a harassment scandal should also now step down as an MSP, critics said last night.
The calls came as the sexpest scandal deepened with Labour MSP Monica Lennon saying she had been groped by a ‘powerful, influential and well-respected’ member of her party.
Nationalist Mark McDonald resigned as Childcare and Early Years Minister on Saturday night, admitting his past actions may have made others ‘uncomfortable’ or led them to question his intentions.
But he stopped short of resignfollowing ing from his role as an MSP for Aberdeen Donside.
Meanwhile, Nationalist MSP Willie Coffey was reported to Holyrood chiefs following a complaint from staff earlier this year.
Miss Lennon, who is the most senior elected politician in the UK so far to claim she has been a victim of sexual harassment, said she had tried to speak out at the time of the incident in 2013 – but said witnesses treated it as a joke.
Her claims came shortly after Mr McDonald quit his post as Childcare Minister. He has refused to disclose details, but said that he had been guilty of behaviour that ‘might have made others uncomfortable or led them to question my intentions’.
He said that he had wrongly believed his conduct to ‘have been merely humorous, or attempting to be friendly’. But, an internal investigation by SNP chiefs after they received a complaint, he resigned from the Government.
Last night Mr McDonald faced calls urging him to step down from his position as a politician, with campaigners questioning ‘why on earth’ he was allowed to stay on as an MSP when he did not deem his behaviour to have met the standards required of a government minister.
Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality Party, said: ‘Mark McDonald resigned as minister on the grounds that what he called “merely humorous” behaviour “might have made others uncomfortable”.
‘This comment is so far from an apology that McDonald is clearly a long way from understanding how sexual harassment limits women’s freedoms and normalises all other forms of violence against them.
‘The question is, if he is not fit to be a minister, then why on earth is he fit to be an MSP? Either this behaviour is acceptable or it’s not.’
The SNP last night confirmed that the investigation into Mr McDonald had been completed with no further action to be taken.
Miss Walker said the decision not to pursue further action was ‘dangerous’, adding: ‘The SNP needs to recognise that harassment is an everyday experience for women, and something that cannot be resolved with a resignation and empty apology.’
Scottish Government officials reported that they have received ‘no formal complaints of sexual harassment against ministers or officials’ in recent days.
Following Mr McDonald’s resignation, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that he had taken the ‘right action’ and backed his decision to remain as an MSP.
Earlier in the week Miss Sturgeon emailed all Nationalist parliamentarians, ordering them to consider their treatment of women and if they
‘Why is he fit to be an MSP? ‘Touched me in an intimate way’
had ever been harassment.
Within minutes of releasing his resignation statement, Mr McDonald’s Twitter page revealed that he had deleted a number of posts – in which he, too, had told men to ‘reflect on how we treat women and resolve to be better’.
Last night an SNP spokesman said: ‘Mr McDonald has apologised unreservedly and resigned from his ministerial post. No further investigations are under way in relation to Mr McDonald.’
Just hours after Mr McDonald quit, Labour Central Scotland MSP Miss Lennon revealed she had been subjected to inappropriate behaviour and assault at a social event four years ago – in a room full of people, including Labour politicians.
She said she was groped by a ‘powerful, influential and wellrespected’ Scottish Labour figure, but did not pursue a guilty of complaint she lodged with party chiefs because she feared she would not be believed.
Miss Lennon, who was a councillor at the time, told the Sunday Mail: ‘A man, who was a senior figure in the party, touched me in a manner that some would say is “handsy”.
‘He was sitting next to me when he groped me, in full view of other people.
‘I don’t want to go into full details but he touched my body, in an intimate way, without invitation or permission. This shouldn’t happen to anyone.’
She claimed that one politician at the event joked: ‘That’s your fault for coming over here and getting him all excited.’
A Labour Party spokesman said: ‘The party takes all complaints of sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination extremely seriously.
‘We ask that anyone with a complaint comes forward so that allegations can be properly investigated. When evidence of misconduct comes to light, all appropriate disciplinary action is taken in line with the party’s rule book and procedures. The party has been working with its affiliates to develop procedures specifically designed to deal with complaints of sexual harassment and safeguarding issues in order to improve internal processes and make it easier to report concerns.’
It was revealed yesterday that Mr Coffey was investigated by Holyrood chiefs six months ago following a complaint from a civil servant.
The victim reported him for ‘inappropriate language’ and ‘unsolicited attention’.
Yesterday a Scottish parliamentary spokesman said: ‘We listened and acted quickly upon receiving a complaint from a member of our staff. The complaint concerned inappropriate language and unsolicited attention from an MSP.’
Mr Coffey did not respond to requests for comment yesterday, but an SNP spokesman said: ‘As parliament have stated, this matter was dealt with appropriately and to the satisfaction of the individual involved.’