SNP council boss in ‘sexual misconduct’ row dealing with confidence vote

Sources mentioned that in a face-to-face assembly on the council HQ in Motherwell, Councillor Logue “made it abundantly clear” to Cllr Linden that Labour thought-about him unfit to be the chief and a councillor. 

It’s understood Cllr Logue additionally warned him that until he resigned he was prone to face a confidence vote in a particular council assembly subsequent month.

The SNP have 36 of the council’s 77 seats, Labour has 32, the Tories have 5, there are two Independents, one Inexperienced and one British Unionist. 

If solely a handful of Cllr Linden’s colleagues abstained or stayed away from the council assembly, he might simply be voted out of the management.

The Labour group within the council is now set to carry its personal particular assembly on Thursday to determine whether or not to ask the Provost to name a particular council about Cllr Linden’s future.

As solely 1 / 4 of councillors are required to set off a particular council, Labour already has the numbers to take action, and the council can be held in round two weeks’ time.

A supply near the Labour management in North Lanarkshire mentioned there was an “rising consensus” over a confidence vote, and claimed some SNP councillors additionally regarded Cllr Linden’s place as more and more unsustainable.

It follows the Sunday Mail reporting that Cllr Linden was accused of creating undesirable sexual advances to a teen whereas drunk at a celebration in Dundee in September 2019.

One activist reported the younger man was left “traumatised” after he and the Bellshill councillor have been in a room on the get together, which adopted a homosexual delight march within the metropolis.

The newspaper mentioned SNP HQ officers have been conscious of the alleged incident, even when there was no formal criticism made, and Cllr Linden was allowed to stay within the get together.

Though he ditched his marketing campaign to safe the SNP’s Westminster candidacy in Coatbridge simply 4 days after the Dundee occasion, Cllr Linden went on to safe promotion within the SNP.

He turned chief of the SNP opposition group in North Lanarkshire final 12 months, and when the SNP overtook Labour in Could’s native elections, he turned council chief.

An in depth ally of SNP MSP Fulton MacGregor and former officer supervisor to ex-SNP MSP Richard Lyle, Cllr Linden is the cousin of Glasgow East SNP MP David Linden.

The SNP’s inner complaints course of is already underneath scrutiny after former SNP MP Patrick Grady was discovered responsible of sexually harassing a male staffer whereas drunk in 2016.

SNP Westminster chief Ian Blackford was accused of letting down the sufferer of the Glasgow North MP and permitting Mr Grady to be promoted to chief whip regardless of realizing of the allegation on an off-the-cuff degree.

The Sunday Mail mentioned it approached Cllr Linden on Friday and put the allegations to him, and that he admitted he was “probably” conscious of them.

Nevertheless he declined to talk any additional and requested for inquiries to be put in an e-mail however failed to reply.

The Herald has tried to contact Cllr Linden.

The SNP has criticised the Sunday Mail’s reporting and mentioned it might submit a criticism to the Unbiased Press Requirements Organisation (IPSO). 

Nevertheless the pary has repeatedly refused to say what it knew in regards to the allegation about Cllr Linden.

Motherwell North Councillor Andrew Duffy-Lawson, chair of the Motherwell & Wishaw Labour get together, mentioned: “But once more we’ve one other case of alleged predatory behaviour in SNP ranks and a failure to take care of them appropriately. 

“I encourage different Councillors to comply with their morals on this situation.”

Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie has mentioned the SNP’s status can be “additional sullied” if it failed to handle the controversy round Cllr Linden.

The SNP has been requested for remark in regards to the Labour plan.