Scottish Labour suspends interim head over abuse claims

LONDON: The Labour Party in Scotland suspended interim leader Alex Rowley from its parliamentary group Wednesday, shortly after he stepped down from the role amid an inquiry into claims of abusive conduct towards a former partner.
Scottish Labour bowed to pressure to act against Rowley, its deputy party leader and temporary head since August, after the woman, who has remained anonymous, detailed an allegedly abusive relationship in a newspaper.
The party had first announced on Wednesday morning that Rowley, a member of the Scottish parliament (MSP) at Holyrood since 2014, had stepped aside from his leadership roles.
Later in the day, it announced his suspension during an internal probe of his conduct.
Lawmaker James Kelly, Labour's Business Manager in Holyrood, said the matter would be "thoroughly investigated" in a "fair and transparent" manner.
"However, in light of the serious nature of the allegations, Labour at Holyrood has taken the decision to remove the whip from Alex Rowley for the period of this investigation," he added, referring to the parliamentary procedure used to suspend him.
The moves follow accusations in the Scottish Sun newspaper from the former partner that Rowley had sent abusive text messages and made her life "hell".
The woman said she had been inspired to speak out after other women had come forward to complain about misconduct by politicians at both Holyrood and Westminster.
Rowley denied the allegations in a statement and said he would work to clear his name, according to local media reports.
He took over as interim leader of the Scottish Labour Party after former head Kezia Dugdale quit the job in August.
Voting has begun in the contest to find the next permanent leader, with the results of the ballot due to be announced Saturday.
Scottish Labour confirmed that Jackie Baillie, the party's economy spokeswoman, would take over as interim leader. — AFP