PATRICK Grady has suspended his SNP membership as police investigate an allegation of sexual assault made against him.
The MP will sit as an independent at Westminster while the Metropolitan Police inquiry takes place.
It comes after the force confirmed it will be looking into a complaint made against the Glasgow North MP. A parliamentary inquiry found he made an “unwanted sexual advance” on a teenage staffer at a London pub in 2016.
Officers say they will speak to the young staffer, now aged 25, as part of their inquiries.
According to reports in The Sunday Mail and Sunday Times, the police complaint was not made by the staffer, but by “another worker at the Palace of Westminster”.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman commented: “On June 22 police received an allegation of sexual assault that is said to have taken place in October 2016 at a commercial premises in Folgate Street, E1.
“The report was submitted online by a third party. Officers will now be making inquiries, including contacting the alleged victim, in order to assess what further action is required.”
An SNP spokesperson said: "Patrick Grady is stepping away from his party membership while the police inquiry continues."
Grady said he was “profoundly sorry” for his behaviour after being found to have breached Parliament’s sexual misconduct policy.
The parliamentary report said he “made an unwanted sexual advance to the complainant that included the touching and stroking of the complainant’s neck, hair, and back”.
Last week, an audio recording was released of an SNP Westminster group meeting during which leader Ian Blackford said he looked forward to bringing Grady back into the fold and calling on other party MPs to support him.
Fellow SNP MPs Amy Callaghan and Marion Fellows also said colleagues should support Grady.
Callaghan and Blackford apologised for their remarks, with the SNP Westminster leader later urging Grady to “reflect on his behaviour” and position as an MP.
The SNP staffer, who is considering legal action over the case, says his life has been a “living hell” since he made the complaint.
