Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to “come clean” over a Scottish Government bullying probe into a senior SNP MSP.
The First Minister is under pressure to disclose the outcome of an investigation into claims made against her former Cabinet colleague Fergus Ewing.
She has refused to do so on the grounds of “GDPR privacy issues”, sparking an angry backlash.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “Nicola Sturgeon must come clean on the outcome of this bullying case - and explain what action her government has taken to tackle this problem in her party.”
It was reported in 2020 that Ewing was the subject of a bullying complaint by civil servants when he was Sturgeon’s Rural Economy and Tourism Cabinet Secretary.
Allegations were said to have been made by three officials.
The allegations were initially handled informally, but then escalated into a formal process.
A spokesman for Ewing said in 2020: “Mr Ewing completely rejects the claims against him.”
It is understood the probe has been completed - but the Government is now refusing to comment on the outcome.
The Record asked the First Minister directly last week about the outcome of the bullying complaint.
She said: “Look, I’m not going to get into that right now because there are all sorts of GDPR privacy issues around all of these things. I’m happy to come back to you on that when I kind of look to see what I’m able to say and not say.”
The stonewalling echoed a previous response given to us in September.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said at the time: “We do not comment on individual HR or employee matters.”
Sarwar said: “There is a corrosive culture of secrecy at the heart of the SNP government, which is risking the principles of transparency and accountability at the heart of our democracy.
“The arrogant response to any questions ranging from the ferry scandal and the SNP’s shameless attempts to dodge scrutiny and suppress criticism have laid bare a pattern of behaviour that has run through their government for years.
“After 15 years of SNP government, it will require a full overhaul to put a stop to cover-ups and closed-door government so we can restore desperately needed transparency and accountability into public life.”
Ewing, 64, left the government last year after the Scottish Parliament election.
The Ewing probe was conducted under the Government’s Fairness at Work procedure, rather than under the policy used to investigate sexual harassment allegations against former First Minister Alex Salmond.
In 2018, Ewing apologised after a separate allegation of bullying was made by an official.
He said at the time: “I am aware that – on occasion – I can be forthright in the way I represent my views.
“When this specific issue was raised with me, I apologised personally to the individual concerned.”
According to the Scottish Ministerial Code, which sets out the behaviour expected of Sturgeon and her team, the First Minister has ultimate responsibility for her colleagues: “Ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct themselves in the light of the Ministerial Code and for justifying their actions to Parliament and the public.
“The First Minister is, however, the ultimate judge of the standards of behaviour expected of a Minister and of the appropriate consequences of a breach of those standards.”
Ewing is part of the SNP’s most famous dynasty as the son of Nationalist legend Winnie.
He has been an MSP since the first day of the Parliament in 1999 and served in Government between 2007 and 2021.
He held junior ministerial roles under Alex Salmond before being promoted by Sturgeon to the Cabinet.
As a backbencher, he has become a critic of the Green influence in government.
Ewing did not respond to an email.
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