The SNP’s main whip threatened members of the party’s Westminster group with legal action after a recording of Ian Blackford, who supported the disgraced MP Patrick Grady, leaked to the press.
In an email, Owen Thompson told colleagues he had already contacted parliamentary security.
The leak warning had already expired in the Times.
READ MORE: Angus Robertson defends Ian Blackford over sexual harassment lawsuit against Patrick Grady
In a report released on Tuesday, the parliamentary oversight body, the Independent Expert Group, said Mr Grady had “made sexual progress towards the complainant”, which was “clearly sexual in intent and manner and manifestly inappropriate”.
They said that the harassment and handling of the complaint by the SNP had an impact on the victim – who was only 19 at the time – including “significant psychological consequences leading to a medical commitment” and “significant subsequent physical effects on the applicant’s health”.
Shortly after the report was published, the SNP Westminster group met to discuss its findings. This meeting was then recorded and shared with both the Daily Mail and later the Sun.
Mr Blackford could be heard saying to MEPs: “I think most of you know how I feel about Patrick and I would encourage the group to give as much support as possible.
“And let’s look forward to next week, he will face a number of challenges in the short term and he has our full support.
“And on the one hand, I look forward to seeing Patrick back in the band next week.”
“And let’s look forward to next week, he will face a number of challenges in the short term and he has our full support.
“And on the one hand, I look forward to seeing Patrick back in the band next week.”
East Dunbartonshire MP Amy Callahan and Motherwell MP Marion Fellows also voiced support for Mr Grady.
In his email, Mr Thompson said there were “serious questions that need to be answered about the legality of sharing a recording without consent under the provisions of the Investigative Powers Act 2000”.
Each MP present at the group’s meeting is invited to speak to him in person on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mr Thompson said the transmission of a recording received from the Daily Mail and Sun was “beyond the pale”, adding: “This behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated”.
Mr Grady’s victim told The Times: “It is disappointing to see that the SNP prefers to take decisive action against the distributor rather than the perpetrator,” he said.
“The SNP has not yet learned anything. The fact that Owen and the leadership believe that the leak, and not Grady’s behavior, is the reason why opponents are attacking them, shows how far from reality the SNP has become.
Craig Hoy, chairman of the Scottish Conservatives, said Mr Thompson’s email “confirms that the SNP has serious distorted priorities when it comes to dealing with serious misconduct”.
He added: “Threatening with legal action and questioning one’s own deputies in this way is a new minimum even for nationalists. This is not about “attacking the party” and quoting standing orders, but about responsibility to the vulnerable victim. ”
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