SCOTTISH Labour leader Anas Sarwar has been urged to say when he was informed about one of his senior councillors being charged with stalking offences.
Philip Braat, the former lord provost of Glasgow, was arrested and charged with stalking offences on October 23 – but it appears he was suspended from the Labour Party around six weeks later.
In that period, the SNP group on Glasgow City Council said that Braat attended council debates “as a member of the Labour group” and stayed on committees – including a “partnership” board whose remit includes working to tackle violence against women.
Braat is no longer a member of the Safe Glasgow Partnership. He is expected to appear in court at a later date.
In a letter to Sarwar, the SNP’s business manager in Glasgow City Council, Greg Hepburn, said that it was “right and proper that anyone facing serious charges is removed from their responsibilities at the earliest opportunity”.
Hepburn added: “As business manager I take my responsibilities around safeguarding of all elected members seriously.
“And I am firmly of the view that there can be no dubiety around elected members facing criminal charges taking part in discussions or decision making on a range of sensitive issues.”
He said it was “important” that Sarwar said when Labour’s group leader and business manager – George Redmond and Frank McAveety, respectively – became aware of the charges against Braat.
Sarwar was also urged to say when he had become aware and “why it took five weeks for the city council to be informed”.
It comes after former Edinburgh council leader Cammy Day was forced to step down from his position and suspended from Labour after allegations he had “bombarded” two Ukrainian refugees with unsolicited sexual messages.
Sarwar has previously insisted that he was unaware of previous complaints against Day after police revealed that a separate complaint had been received earlier this year but that no criminality was established.
And in Inverclyde, Stephen McCabe stepped back from his role as council leader after he was charged with domestic assault. McCabe has also been suspended from Labour and pleaded not guilty to the charges at a hearing in November.
Scottish Labour was approached for comment.
