A SCOTTISH Labour MP has been accused of “cronyism” after being given an extra office in Westminster.
Imogen Walker – the MP for Hamilton and Clyde Valley since July – has been given an office in the Palace of Westminster, The Daily Record reports.
This is in addition to a shared office in another part of the parliamentary estate.
Walker is married to Morgan McSweeney, who was been Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s right-hand man for years.
He is currently Downing Street chief of staff after taking over from Sue Gray, who resigned in October last year.
A senior Labour source told the newspaper: “The way in which MPs’ offices are allocated has long been a mystery. The decisions are made by the whips as part of the dark arts which they use to reward some and punish others. It shouldn’t be like this.
“Occasionally office allocations by the whips give raise to serious accusations of favouritism or nepotism because the MP is related to someone more senior. This should not happen, especially when more senior MPs get worse treatment.”
Walker also has a government job as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
An SNP spokesperson said: "It's up to the Labour Party to explain any allegations of cronyism. Under Keir Starmer, the party certainly has a dodgy record of handing out privileges, including giving Downing Street passes, peerages and MP selections to donors and cronies."
Scottish Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher said: “This unusually favourable treatment for a new MP will raise eyebrows among Labour MPs, who will wonder whether it’s pure coincidence that Imogen Walker happens to be married to Keir Starmer’s puppet-master.”
A Labour spokesperson said: “This arrangement is in place for dozens of MPs, as an important part of their often sensitive work. It is not specific to any individual.
“It’s sexist and patronising to single out a woman on the basis of who she is married to given these facts.
“As for the SNP, they should spend less time worrying about MPs’ offices and spend more time on fixing Scotland’s public services and NHS, which they’ve broken.”
