By Peter Omopo
Scottish Labour has suspended MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy and removed the party whip from her at Holyrood while it investigates her links to a convicted sex offender.
The party confirmed the action on Tuesday, following revelations about Duncan-Glancy’s long-standing association with former Moray councillor Sean Morton, who was convicted in 2017 over indecent images of children and later jailed again in January 2025 for further offences.
Duncan-Glancy, who has represented Glasgow since 2021, stepped down as Scottish Labour’s education spokesperson in December after acknowledging what she described as a “serious error of personal judgement” in maintaining contact with Morton after his conviction. She also announced she would not seek re-election and will leave the Scottish Parliament when her term ends in May.
A Scottish Labour spokesperson said all complaints are being handled in line with the party’s rules and procedures, adding that the suspension was part of an ongoing internal process.
The decision to suspend Duncan-Glancy came just hours after Labour removed the whip in the House of Lords from newly appointed peer Lord Matthew Doyle, the former director of communications to Sir Keir Starmer, to allow an investigation into his own links with Morton.
Media reports have alleged that Duncan-Glancy continued her friendship with Morton even after his second conviction and that he attended her birthday celebration late last year. The pair are said to have known each other for more than three decades, having met while at high school.
In Lord Doyle’s case, it has emerged that he campaigned for Morton when he stood as an independent candidate in 2017, at a time when he had been charged but not yet convicted. In a statement, Lord Doyle said Morton had repeatedly maintained his innocence during that period and only later changed his plea to guilty. He described his continued support as a “clear error of judgement” and offered an unreserved apology.
Lord Doyle, a veteran Labour communications strategist who previously worked with former prime minister Tony Blair, resigned as the Prime Minister’s director of communications in March last year after nine months in the role. He was appointed to the House of Lords in January.
The suspensions have intensified scrutiny of Labour’s internal processes and handling of safeguarding issues, as investigations into the conduct of both party figures continue.
