A SENIOR SNP MP accused of sexual harassment was not fully investigated by the party despite multiple reports raising concerns about his behaviour.
The Herald can reveal that Patrick Grady, the party’s chief whip and SNP MP for Glasgow North, is the MP at the centre of harassment allegations.
Letters obtained by The Herald detail concerns about the MP’s behaviour at the SNP’s Christmas party on December 15, 2016, at London’s Phoenix Artist Club.
They claim that Mr Grady groped two male researchers at the bash, but was being "protected" by the party. They also warned about the risk to others if his behaviour was not addressed.
The letters were sent to the House of Common’s Speaker, John Bercow in December 2017 and early 2018. The Speaker’s office then passed them to the SNP’s compliance unit, in line with the party’s harassment policy.
READ MORE: SNP under pressure to suspend two MPs at centre of harassment claims as new witness speaks out
The first letter states: "A member of staff recently left [the] SNP who was groped sexually by Patrick Grady at last year’s Christmas party. He found this difficult as he is heterosexual and had to work with him.
"There was another male staff member who was groped sexually by Mr Grady the same night of last year.
"Given the position of Patrick Grady as Chief Whip, staff are scared to come forward because he is protected by the party. "However, this happened at Westminster and there are concerns about risk to others if nothing is done."
READ MORE: Patrick Grady stands down as SNP chief whip ‘amid sexual harassment allegations’
A second letter, signed by "concerned staff members" stated: "This matter in relation to repeated sexual misconduct is widely known about within Westminster and the SNP group, however, given his position and despite a supposed tough stance against harassment, Patrick Grady is being protected and his behaviour is supported."
The claims come following allegations by a current SNP employee that he was inappropriately touched on the neck by Mr Grady while at a social event in London’s Water Poet Pub in October 2016.
That incident was brought to the attention of the SNP, by a colleague of the man, at the time when the Me Too scandal hit Westminster towards the end of 2017.
READ MORE: SNP worker accuses two SNP MPs of inappropriate touching and sexual misconduct
As previously reported, the man was called to a meeting with the SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford and Mr Grady, during which Mr Grady apologised for his behaviour.
Several months later, employees contacted the then-Commons speaker John Bercow’s office to report the claims of groping by Mr Grady at the SNP Christmas party the previous year.
Despite knowing there had already been one allegation involving Mr Grady and a young male party employee, the SNP is understood to have taken no action to fully investigate the other concerns.
Several senior SNP sources have told the Herald that party members have been advised not to comment on the allegations, which first came to light earlier this week.
An SNP MP has stood down from his role as chief whip of the party following sexual harassment allegations. https://t.co/rJD0euZaSB
— The Herald (@heraldscotland) March 10, 2021
However they have expressed concern about the way in which the party has handled the complaints regarding the allegations and question why the MP has not been suspended pending an investigation.
READ MORE: SNP candidate in professional misconduct probe
One senior party figure said: “It’s a sorry state of affairs and the way this is being handled is not right. There needs to be transparency.
"Everyone also understands the need to protect those involved, but by saying nothing, it seems much worse.”
The Herald contacted the SNP to ask what it had done regarding the concerns about Mr Grady’s behaviour at the Christmas party, but received no response.
On Tuesday, the party said that advice had been given to the complainer in the Water Poet pub incident, and added: "It’s important that due process takes place. Advice has been offered on how to make a formal complaint so that a proper investigation can be carried out.”
The Herald received no reply from Mr Grady despite repeated requests.
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