HUMZA Yousaf will campaign in a byelection triggered by an SNP sex scandal after it was revealed that yet another councillor had resigned in protest.
Today, the First Minister will campaign alongside Joe Budd in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, in advance of the June 15 election.
The byelection was necessitated by the resignation of former SNP council leader Jordan Linden following allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied.
Mr. Linden resigned as the £45,000 head of North Lanarkshire last year, a few weeks after the SNP took control of the council from Labour, after confessing he had caused an adolescent boy “extreme discomfort” at a 2019 party.
Mr. Linden, the cousin of SNP Glasgow East MP David Linden, resigned as a councillor in March after further allegations were made and again denied.
Sexual misconduct allegations prompted a byelection
Eight SNP councillors raised concerns regarding the local and national party’s management of complaints against Cllr Linden and were consequently sanctioned.
Two of the group’s members were expelled and five were suspended for six months earlier this month for attempting to amend a motion presented to the full council by the SNP group’s new leader, Tracy Garragher. As a result, the entire group resigned from the SNP.
It was revealed this week that an eighth councillor, Jim Hume, a longtime SNP representative in the Wishaw constituency, also left the party to become an independent.
In a brief statement, he said, “I look forward to working with a group of councillors whose sole focus is not party politics but rather the best interests of all North Lanarkshire residents.”
Mr. Yousaf will assert during his visit today that the SNP has been focused on local issues despite years of acrimonious infighting within the council group.
The SNP leader will say, “I am proud that SNP activists continue to spread our progressive vision and plans for a fairer, greener, and prosperous Scotland to every corner of Scotland.
“I am thrilled to join our SNP candidate and local activists to speak with residents and business owners in Bellshill about their priorities and how the SNP is the only party protecting Scotland from the brunt of Westminster policies, in stark contrast to the Tory/Labour coalition in North Lanarkshire Council.
“The SNP is the only party offering our communities a viable alternative to the flawed Westminster system. A vote for the SNP ensures that we can eliminate Tory governments permanently.”
Mr. Budd, a civil engineer, left the SNP in the past due to policy disagreements and ran as an independent against the party in a North Lanarkshire Council byelection in 2021, placing third.
