SNP candidate ditched over handling of Linden complaints

The leader of the SNP group on North Lanarkshire Council has been suspended from the party and dropped as an election candidate.

Tracy Carragher had been criticised for her handling of complaints about former council leader Jordan Linden, who last week was convicted of sexually assaulting young men.

She had been due to stand as a regional list candidate in Central Scotland and Lothians West in next month's election.

An SNP spokesperson said Carragher had been suspended and dropped as a candidate "in light of ongoing allegations regarding the handling of matters within the North Lanarkshire Council SNP group in relation to Jordan Linden".

They added: "We take this issue seriously and the voices of complainants must always be heard."

Carragher has also been removed as leader of the council's SNP group.

Shortly before Carragher's suspension was announced, First Minister John Swinney was asked if he had confidence in Carragher.

The SNP leader replied that the candidates the party had selected "will go forward for election".

Carragher is also facing a council motion in which she is accused of having ignored or downplayed complaints about Linden.

The motion, due to be debated on Thursday, calls for Carragher's immediate resignation alongside that of her colleague Fiona Fotheringham.

North Lanarkshire Council - which has been run by a minority Labour administration since 2022 - will also vote on whether to suspend activity with the Scottish Youth Parliament, where Linden previously served as chairman.

Carragher has been asked to comment.

She is one of several Holyrood candidates to have been withdrawn this week.

Green candidate Guy Ingerson was suspended due to a complaint from a party rival, while Reform lost several Holyrood hopefuls in the days after their unveiling.

Carragher was deputy leader of the council when it was reported in 2022 that Linden had made unwanted advances towards a teenager three years earlier.

In a recording of an emergency meeting of the SNP group at North Lanarkshire Council, held a few days later, Carragher seems to suggest that those who went to newspapers with concerns over Linden's conduct had done so for "personal gain".

She also seems to say that the SNP had told Linden "not to comment", adding that the party "decide what happens".

Cameron McManus, a former SNP councillor who complained about Linden, said he confided in Carragher, but alleged she took no action. He said she was unfit for office.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said on Friday that Carragher should "reflect" on candidacy, though the party later issued a partial clarification backing her.

At the weekend Swinney said he was "very sorry" to those who had suffered. He has also announced an independent review of the SNP's complaints process.

Speaking earlier on Wednesday, Swinney said: "It's really important that in all of these situations, we listen to the voices of those who complain and that we address those issues, and that's exactly the approach that the SNP is taking.

"The review that I have set out will explore and examine all the ways in which these issues have been handled and those issues will be resolved by the SNP."

McManus and others have accused the party of downplaying or ignoring the allegations.

The Sunday Times reported that former SNP councillors had urged Swinney to review the party's complaints process six months ago but had received no reply from the party.

Councillor Greg Lennon, now an independent on North Lanarkshire Council, wrote to the first minister in September, alleging that councillors who raised concerns about Linden had been subject to "prolonged suspension, exclusion, bullying and harassment and a series of unfounded or mishandled complaints".

The letter was also copied to Swinney's predecessor Humza Yousaf, who told BBC Scotland's Sunday Show that the SNP had strengthened its processes as a result of the MeToo movement.

He added: "But the party, of course, should reflect on any complaints that have been made, any criticisms from those who have been victims of inappropriate behaviour, and we should always seek to do better."

An SNP spokesperson said the party had comprehensively reviewed its complaints procedures since 2016 and highlighted that Swinney had ordered an independent review following Linden's conviction.

"This will ensure people are protected and our complaints procedures are as robust as they can be," they said.

"More generally, the SNP welcomes the verdict against Mr Linden and commends the bravery of the individuals who came forward and shared their experiences with the police."

The spokesperson added that the party had responded to the letter.