SNP leader accused of ‘ambush’ to protect MP

THE SNP’S leader in Westminster has been accused of trying to cover up an incident of sexual misconduct for which one of his MPS faces a Commons ban.

A report has revealed that Ian Blackford, who leads the nationalists at Westminster, “ambushed” the victim in 2018 before a formal misconduct complaint.

Patrick Grady, a former SNP chief whip, was found to have broken conduct rules after a drunken “unwanted sexual advance” towards a junior member of staff in 2016. He faces calls from Labour and the Conservatives in Scotland to resign his Glasgow North seat.

A Parliamenary inquiry report, published yesterday, recommended the MP be suspended for two days. It also said Mr Blackford allegedly took the staffer for an “impromptu meeting” but they were not told Mr Grady would also be present. The complainant said they felt intimidated into accepting an apology from Mr Grady after finding themselves in a room with “two people who had so much influence over their career”.

The Scottish Conservatives claimed that this was an attempted “cover up”.

The Commissioner for Standards yesterday upheld the misconduct allegation and said Mr Grady had, “under the influence of alcohol, made an unwanted sexual advance ... that involved touching and stroking the complainant’s neck, hair, and back”.

The complainant made eight allegations of misconduct to Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme in May 2021, with the Commissioner for Standards finding that Mr Grady had breached Parliament’s sexual misconduct policy.

In the victim’s impact statement, which was published by parliamentary authorities, they said their world was “absolutely turned upside down by Patrick Grady’s actions”.

The suspension was mitigated because the Standards Commission felt the complainant “breached confidentiality repeatedly” in “a deliberate attempt to publicly discredit Mr Grady”.

The SNP was contacted for comment.