The Westminster SNP leader faced calls to resign after an audio recording revealed he urged nationalist lawmakers to rally around Patrick Grady, who was found guilty by Community authorities.
Grady, a North Glasgow MP, made an “unwanted sexual assault” on a staff member, then 19, in 2016. Read more related articles Read more related articles In the soundtrack, Blackford was heard saying that Grady “will face a number of challenges in the short term and so he will have our full support.” In a statement issued today, Blackford said “staff must have full confidence that the team is taking complaints seriously.” It comes after opposition parties and SNP MP Joanna Cherry kicked off the party over how she handles allegations of sexual abuse. Grady was suspended by the Commons for two days last week and apologized publicly after being accused of sexually harassing a young SNP executive. Blackford said: “As the head of SNP Westminster, I have a duty to take care of all our staff. I’m deeply sorry that one staff member was misbehaved. Read more related articles “It was completely unacceptable and should never have happened. I’m sorry it happened. “Staff must have full confidence that the team is taking complaints seriously. In this case, the Independent Complaints and Appeals System has investigated what happened. We respect and accept this independent process. “More than that, however, staff have a right to feel fully supported when a complaint is made. I’m sorry that the complainant does not believe this is the case. “The way in which this situation has been played out in public in recent days, including the recordings by the parliamentary group, has caused the complainant distress, among other things, and I am sorry that it is happening. North Glasgow MP Patrick Grady has been found guilty by Community authorities (Image: YouTube) “We will look at all the lessons we need to learn to ensure that staff have full confidence that they will receive the support they need. “Therefore, I am starting an external review of the support available to staff, to be on the side of the independent consultancy and the independent grievance process. “Complaints like this are never easy and I am determined that the staff has the support they need.” Following the leak, SNP MPs were threatened with criminal activity by their leader. Owen Thompson invited every member of parliament who was in the group meeting to speak with him in person on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a hunt for the burglar. Stay up to date with all the latest stories from Peter Davidson. As Live Politics Editor at the Daily Record he covers politics in Holyrood, Westminster and local councils. Follow him if you want to be informed about what is happening in the political world. To follow Peter, click here. To subscribe to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
