Labour has today condemned an SNP candidate who falsely claimed the backing of one of Strathclyde's most senior serving police officers in one of his election leaflets.
It is against the law for a serving police officer to appear in election leaflets, but Kenny Gibson is photographed grinning in a custody suite with Ayrshire Divisional Commander John Thomson, under the headline "we're always on your side". The matter has been referred to Strathclyde Police who have confirmed that Commander Thomson was not asked for his permission, and would not have given it.
Scottish Labour has called on the SNP to reprimand Kenny Gibson and urged the party to immediately withdraw the illegal leaflets. See attached a scan of the leaflet in question.
Graeme Pearson, a retired senior police officer who is now a Labour candidate for the south of Scotland list, said:
"The constitutional position is well-established - serving officers must stand back from politics. That is a line that has been well trod for 200 years.
"I took no active part in politics until I left the service, because police must be impartial.
"It is unthinkable that the SNP don't know the rules. Either their party's organisation is so disorganised they have blundered, or they are deliberately trying to trick people."
Labour candidate for Cunninghame North, Allan Wilson, said:
"The SNP have been caught red-handed engaging in a dirty tricks campaign. The SNP must immediately disown Kenny Gibson's illegal campaigning and reprimand him for trying to claim the support of a police officer .
"SNP party bosses must explain exactly what action they will be taking against Mr Gibson to make it clear it does not condone this type of illegal campaigning.
"This is an outrageous attempt to drag the police into an election and shows how desperate the SNP have got in this area."
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Scottish Labour has today welcomed the strong Labour performance in the Wick by-election, with Labour going from fifth in 2007, to second after the Lib Dem vote plummeted by 42 per cent. The last by-election, which saw Labour increase its share of the vote by 17 per cent, saw support for the Lib Dems crumble by 9 per cent. Scottish Labour campaign coordinator, John Park, said: “This by-election result is a humiliating defeat for the Lib Dems who have seen their share of the vote plummet. This is a strong performance from Labour’s candidate Neil Macdonald who has taken Labour from fifth in 2007 to second. “It is clear Labour has a fighting chance of making real gains in the Highlands and Islands.”Related posts: