Ash Regan faces exclusion from Holyrood for two days over MSP rule breach

The former SNP minister, who defected to Alex Salmond’s Alba Party but now sits as an independent, fell foul of the rules after publicly disclosing her intention to make a complaint against Green MSP Maggie Chapman.

She criticised Ms Chapman’s “dangerous dismissal” of the landmark Supreme Court gender ruling back in April, which the Green MSP described as a “political attack” which was “not based in law”.

Section 9.1 of the MSP code of conduct prohibits members from disclosing, communicating or discussing any complaints prior to a complaint being lodged or while the process is ongoing.

READ MORE: Maggie Chapman to face vote to oust her from Scottish equalities committee after 'bigotry' comments

Martin Whitfield, convener of the standards committee, said it considered the breach “sufficiently serious to merit the recommendation of a sanction”.

He added: “On the basis of the facts and circumstances of this case, the committee determined that the most appropriate sanction available to it was exclusion from the proceedings of the Parliament for a specified period of time.

“I propose that the appropriate sanction in this case would be exclusion from meetings of the Parliament and its committees on two sitting days, with those days being a Wednesday and a Thursday.”

A complaint was lodged against Ms Regan after she posted her letter to the Presiding Officer on social media on April 22, along with the message: “I’ve formally reported Maggie Chapman MSP to the Presiding Officer and standards committee following her dangerous dismissal of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Equality Act as a ‘political attack’. MSPs have a duty to uphold the law, not undermine it.”

Mr Whitfield said the committee unanimously found this to be a breach of the code, despite Ms Regan arguing she had been merely “reporting a concern, not a complaint”. He said the rules aim to protect “the integrity of the system”.

Writing on X, Ms Regan accused critics of wanting her “out of the building”.

A source close to the MSP called the decision to suspend her “absurd”, adding: “Maggie Chapman, a member of the Scottish Parliament, attempted to undermine and traduce the highest court in the land.

“Any rational member of the public would think that Ms Chapman would be the one being censured - not Ash Regan for raising concerns regarding the impact Maggie Chapman’s conduct had on a landmark decision which protects the right of women and girls to single sex spaces.

“The handling of this matter and the natural injustice will only serve to undermine trust in our Parliament.”

The committee’s recommendation to exclude Ms Regan will go to a vote of the whole Parliament in the new year.