Liberal Democrat MP Angus MacDonald has been ordered to apologise for breaching Parliament’s rules on bullying and harassment after grabbing a contractor’s security pass. Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Service (ICGS) investigated the incident, which occurred last year before a meeting of the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee.
Incident Details
The contractor, who was on his first day working as a verbatim court reporter training to report on parliamentary committee proceedings, said MacDonald grabbed the security pass he was wearing around his neck “without any prior warning and with such force that he was physically tilted forward” into a “semi-bowed position”. MacDonald, MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, said he had no memory of the incident and denied bullying, suggesting he was “probably reading the complainant’s name on the pass”. He also argued that grabbing the pass did not amount to bullying or harassment.
Investigation and Appeal
The ICGS and Parliament’s standards commissioner upheld the complaint. MacDonald appealed, claiming flaws in the investigation and that the findings were unreasonable. However, an independent expert panel dismissed the appeal, stating it had “no substance”. In a report published on Tuesday, the panel said: “The procedures were not materially flawed nor were they unfair and the decisions reached by the commissioner were not unreasonable.”
Panel Findings
The panel ordered MacDonald to make a “full and unreserved apology in writing” to the contractor. They noted a “significant power imbalance” between the MP and the complainant. Aggravating factors included the complainant’s vulnerability as a new employee and his history of serious abuse, though MacDonald was unaware of these. The panel also noted the incident was a single occurrence and MacDonald had offered a “brief written apology” during the investigation. However, they added: “His remorse is not, however, entirely unequivocal. Although he accepts that he may well have held the security pass without any warning or request to do so, he still denies that he would have used any force. Nevertheless, he expresses in his statement that he is deeply sorry the complainant was left feeling upset and disrespected.”
