'I can't see any route back to work for me' - man harassed by SNP MP calls for party's Westminster leader to go
The man who reported Patrick Grady for inappropriate behaviour says he can't accept Ian Blackford's apology
Last updated 22nd Jun 2022
An SNP member of staff has told Forth 1 News, there can be no change in culture within the party while Ian Blackford remains in charge at Westminster.
There have been calls for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber MP to stand down over how a complaint against a senior MP was handled.
Glasgow North MP Patrick Grady was found by an independent investigation to have behaved inappropriately towards the party worker at a function in 2016 and was suspended from Parliament for two days.
Review into support available to staff "not enough"
Mr Blackford last night issued a statement saying he was "determined that staff have the support they need" and promised an external review would be carried out.
But the victim has told us it’s not enough:
“If they are serious about having a review and improving the processes that are in place within the SNP, that’s great, but that cannot be done while Ian Blackford is still leader of the group and Patrick Grady still has the whip.”
In his statement, Ian Blackford also said he regretted how the matter had played out publicly after a recording of him urging colleagues to support Mr Grady was leaked to the media at the weekend.
“Since that audio recording came out, I can’t see any route back to work for me” the victim told us.
"I don't see a welcoming atmosphere"
He added: “I don’t see a welcoming atmosphere for me when I get back to work, if the leader’s telling MPs to support Patrick rather than me, the victim”.
He also told us he has had no contact from anyone at the SNP since the conclusion of the investigation.
“The politics need to be stripped away from this and people need to look at their moral compass and decide for themselves if these are the kinds of people we want in the party”.
Mr Blackford "has said the right thing" according to his predecessor at Westminster
Mr Grady has already said he was "profoundly sorry" for his behaviour after being found to have breached Parliament's sexual misconduct policy.
Edinburgh Central MSP Angus Robertson was SNP Westminster leader at the time of the incident and has welcomed Ian Blackford’s statement.
“I think he has said the right thing, what matters now is the right thing is done and lessons are learned from these types of situations, because nobody should face inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.”