John Swinney has insisted the SNP has “an effective process in place” for scrutinising abusive behaviour, amid accusations it failed to deal with complaints about former council leader Jordan Linden. The First Minister was speaking the day after the party announced an independent review into its complaint handling procedures, following Linden’s conviction for sex and stalking offences.
Linden, the former leader of North Lanarkshire Council, was convicted of 10 offences at Falkirk Sheriff Court, including five sexual assaults. Speaking to STV News, one anonymous victim said his actions “could have been stopped earlier”, adding that victims “weren’t believed, we were called liars, we were pushed out of politics”.
In an interview with the Press Association, Mr Swinney began by apologising to Linden’s victims. He said he wanted to ensure the SNP had the strongest possible complaints process, noting that although the process was reviewed in 2022, an independent scrutiny would now be applied. “What I would say is that the SNP has an effective process in place to scrutinise any poor behaviour, any abusive behaviour, and we will review that to make sure that it is appropriate for all the circumstances that we may face,” he said.
Mr Swinney was also asked about a covert recording of an SNP group meeting that appeared to show Tracy Carragher, the current leader of the SNP group on the council, expressing immediate concern to “show that we are functioning” after Linden’s resignation. Asked if this was the correct response, Mr Swinney said it was appropriate to listen to victims. He said he would be “very happy” to meet with Linden’s victims. Ms Carragher later welcomed the guilty verdict, saying it sent a message that justice can be done even if victims do not go to the police immediately.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie criticised the SNP, saying it “behaves like a criminal enterprise” and calling for Mr Swinney to name those responsible and sack Ms Carragher. Detective Chief Inspector Diane Barr, the senior investigating officer, thanked the victims and said no one should be subjected to sexual offending.
