ANAS Sarwar has been confronted about an “intentionally misleading” by-election leaflet.
It comes after Scottish Labour was reported to the Electoral Commission for the campaigning material, which was distributed by the party in the run up to two by-elections in Glasgow later this month.
Voters in Glasgow’s Southside Central and North East wards are set to go to the polls to elect their next councillors on March 20.
The leaflet (below) writes that GB Energy is “lowering bills and creating jobs”.
During the General Election campaign, Labour pledged they would cut household energy bills by £300 through the new publicly owned company.
But the promise has been called into question after the boss of Labour's GB Energy, Juergen Maier, called the initiative a "long-term project".
Meanwhile, customers have instead seen bills rise by £170 since last July, and are set to increase even further from April 1.
The watchdog has since responded and said that while it is the regulator responsible for overseeing elections, it “does not have a role” in regulating the content of election campaign material.
The regulator added: “We have no powers under the law to investigate the accuracy, truth or authenticity of leaflets or other campaign material. It is for voters to consider the material they see and whether they are persuaded by it.”
But now, Doris has also written to Sarwar and hit out at the Scottish Labour leader’s silence on the issue.
“You'll agree that the intentional distribution of misinformation is wrong. So, I would like to bring to your attention a mock newspaper that has been distributed throughout Glasgow - in which you feature prominently,” the MSP wrote.
He added that the claim made about GB Energy is untrue “under any measure”.
“I am yet to hear if you are aware of this very serious issue,” Doris went on.
“I would be grateful if you could confirm if you simply signed this leaflet off in error, or if someone is operating within Scottish Labour without your consent. The only alternative to these conclusions would mean that, as Scottish Labour Leader, you chose to intentionally mislead voters in Glasgow.”
"You will agree that voters deserve clarity on how this leaflet came to pass. Thank you in advance for your much needed clarity on this issue.”
Scottish Labour have been approached for comment.
