The SNP MP Patrick Grady should be suspended from the Commons for two days for breaching parliament’s sexual misconduct policy, an independent panel has recommended.
In a report, the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) said it had upheld an allegation of sexual misconduct against the SNP’s former chief whip after a party staffer logged a complaint relating to an incident at a work social event in a pub in 2016.
It follows an investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards, who concluded Mr Grady made “an unwanted sexual advance” to the then 19-year-old that “included the touching and stroking of the complainant’s neck, hair, and back”.
Established in the wake of the MeToo scandal, the IEP concluded: “An unwanted physical touching, with sexual intent, from a senior MP to a junior member of staff, even on a single occasion, is a significant breach of the policy.
“It must be marked by some period of suspension from the House.”
Deciding its sanction, the panel found that the “relative age [36 compared to 19 years old at the time of the incident] and authority of the respondent, as opposed to the complainant” was an aggravating factor.
However, the panel added that Mr Grady’s “genuine remorse” for his actions and efforts to address his behaviour were taken into account when determining a sanction.
Publishing its report on Tuesday, the IEP added that the recommended punishment had been reduced “because the ‘complainant breached confidentiality repeatedly’; and these breaches were ‘a deliberate attempt to publicly discredit Mr Grady’, leading to him suffering ‘intrusive press activities and abuse on social media’”.
They added: “For all the reasons we have set out, in this case it should be short, and will be somewhat shorter than it might have been by reference to the breaches of confidentiality by the complainant.
“We consider that the respondent should be suspended for two sitting days from the House, and that neither day should be a Friday.
Speaking in the Commons – following the publication of the IEP report – Mr Grady told MPs he accepted the findings in “full”.
“My behaviour and the intent behind it was a significant breach of the behavioural code and sexual misconduct policy,” he added, recognising the disparity in age with the 19-year-old staff.
He added: “I apologise to the complainant without reservation for my behaviour and for the upset and distress it has caused them.”
“I am profoundly sorry for my behaviour and I deeply regret my actions and the consequences.
“Any breach of the behaviour code and associated policies risks bringing this House into disrepute and will cause stress and upset not just to the complainant, but the wider parliamentary community.”
