Stephen Flynn suggests SNP candidate should be sacked if they stand by convicted 'predator'
The SNP Westminster leader has suggested an election candidate should be removed if they continue to stand by a convicted “predator”.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has suggested a councillor should be removed from the party’s regional list if she refuses to distance herself from Jordan Linden after he was convicted as a sex offender.
Jordan Linden quit as the leader of North Lanarkshire Council in July 2022 after reports of alleged sexual harassment emerged, leading to the collapse of the SNP administration in the area. He left the SNP in 2024.
The 30-year-old was convicted of 10 separate offences on Thursday following a trial at Falkirk Sheriff Court, including five sexual assaults.
He was also found guilty of three counts of stalking or engaging in a course of conduct causing fear or alarm, one of coercing a person to look at a sexual image and communicating indecently, and one of intentionally causing another to look at a sexual image without consent.
Calls have been made for Tracy Carragher, who is seventh on the SNP’s list for the Central Scotland region, to be removed as a candidate after she gave evidence in support of Linden in court.
Councillors Greg Lennon and Barry McClusky, who left the SNP after raising concerns over the Linden scandal, have called for action to those who continued to support the convicted sex offender.
Writing on social media, Mr McCluskey claims that he and others were “effectively forced out of the party”, and called for “full transparency and a robust, independent public investigation into the actions and inactions of the North Lanarkshire Council SNP leadership”.
The SNP called on former Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy to be sacked by Anas Sarwar after maintaining her close friendship with convicted paedophile Sean Morton.
Mr Flynn, who did not explicitly call for Ms Carragher to be sacked by the SNP, suggested that due to “consistency” with the calls for Ms Duncan-Glancy to lose the Labour whip, should face action if she continues to stand by Linden.
Speaking to journalists in Glasgow, Mr Flynn said that it was “important” that those councillors who supported Linden should “outline the position that they’ve taken and that they now outline what their position is following the judgment of the court”.
He said: “I think those councillors need to be clear about what they chose to do and what their views are now. That’s a matter for them.
“I’m horrified that this predator got into a position of such seniority within the Scottish Youth Parliament, and indeed, then went on to secure the position as one of the most important people in one of the biggest local authorities in Scotland. That can’t be allowed to happen.”
Mr Flynn said that his “expectation” would be that the SNP “would be in a position to address that in full” following Linden’s sentencing on May 5.
Asked about the SNP calling for Ms Duncan-Glancy to lose the Labour whip and whether his party should match that action, Mr Flynn stressed that she “maintained a relationship with a convicted paedophile”.
Asked if Ms Carragher and others who continue to stand by Linden should be removed as candidates, Mr Flynn suggested the SNP should intervene.
He said: “The one thing I like to be, because I have very strong views on these matters, is consistency.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said there were “serious questions” for John Swinney to answer over the SNP’s handling of the scandal.
She added: "During the trial, one of the men targeted by Linden said that when he went for help from the party, he was ‘ignored or it was downplayed’.
“John Swinney must come clean and explain why that was allowed to happen, and he must also set out what the SNP has done to root out this behaviour within his party.
“John Swinney must make clear what he will do to end this sleazy and abhorrent conduct within his party and explain why the party has consistently chosen cover-up rather than telling the truth.”
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