Parties to discuss bid to sack shamed former SNP minister

FORMER SNP minister Mark McDonald is facing a cross-party bid to ‘sack’ him from Holyrood.

Party leaders will meet this week to discuss new laws to give politicians and voters the power to remove disgraced MSPs.

Former Childcare Minister Mr McDonald quit the SNP after an internal inquiry found he sent ‘inappropriate and unwanted text messages’ and ‘exploited his position of power’, but refused to leave his £62,000-a-year job as MSP for Aberdeen Donside. Westminster introduced Power of Recall in 2015 and Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie is pushing for similar rules here.

He said: ‘The whole parliament needs to show that it is serious about getting its house in order.’

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard, Scottish Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie and Minister for Parliamentary Business Joe Fitzpatrick will join Mr Rennie for talks.