Sarwar Attributes By-Election Disqualification to “Administrative Mess,” Absolves Labour

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has attributed the disqualification of one of his party’s recently elected councillors to an “administrative mess.” Mary McNab secured victory in a by-election in Glasgow North East on 22 November but failed to comply with legislation mandating her resignation from her Glasgow City Council job by the next working day. Sarwar maintained that his party bore no responsibility, suggesting there might have been “discrepancies” in the advice McNab received from her employer. Glasgow City Council stated that it issues guidance to all election candidates, but clarified that council managers could not be “reasonably” expected to advise employees on election law. McNab, who works as a carer, has not yet explained why she did not resign from her council position in time. Her disqualification is anticipated to lead to another by-election, which the council estimates costs approximately £80,000 to hold. Sarwar commented: “This is someone who was desperate to serve the local community, someone who was elected by the local community, and we’ve allowed an administrative mess-up on all sides to mean that we now have another by-election there which is really, really deeply frustrating.” When questioned by reporters about McNab’s failure to resign promptly, he responded: “I think you need to speak to Mary McNab and speak about the conversations that she was having with her employer and the process that she was told to follow with her employer.” He continued, “I think there are probably some discrepancies on the advice that she was given by her employer and the process that she had followed, which meant inadvertently, that there was a situation we now find ourselves in.” He further stated: “I don’t think this one’s on the Labour Party to be honest. I think there is a wider administrative issue here which sadly means we’re going to have a by-election.” The council confirmed it has requested the Sheriff Principal, a senior legal officer, to provide clarity on the situation. A spokesperson commented: “The council’s election team issues guidance to all candidates and agents in advance of every election, on behalf of the returning officer – this includes the Electoral Commission’s guidance on when employees who are elected to local authorities are required to resign their positions.” The spokesperson added, “In this case, neither the candidate nor their party sought any further advice from the returning officer or from the council’s election team.” “It would not be legal or appropriate to discuss the details of any individual’s employment without their consent.” The spokesperson concluded, “However, nobody would reasonably expect a line manager to offer specialist advice on election law.” Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, criticized Glasgow Labour chiefs, labeling their leadership as “lazy” and “incompetent.” Posting on X, she asserted that McNab had been “let down” by the party, further stating: “Not half as let down as folk in the North East ward or the wider city though. “An apology at the least is due for this Glasgow Labour mess.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.