An SNP councillor in Renfrewshire is being investigated by an ethics watchdog after accusing political rivals of “wanting to kill people” during a debate on independence. Will Mylet, who represents Paisley East and Central, made the comments at a full council meeting in June.
He claimed Labour and Conservative governments were “more than happy” to put money into nuclear weapons and have “the ability to commit genocide”. He added: “You want to kill people, you don’t want to feed people.
"That’s the difference and that’s what I want to change. I want Scotland to be away from nuclear weapons and your parties support Trident on the Clyde. They will never remove it, it will never appear in your manifesto. Again, we’ve got the crocodile tears, every single time.”
In a statement directed at a Conservative member, he then said austerity amounted to “no more than the murder of the people that you’re here to look after”.
Councillor Mylet’s language sparked a complaint to the Ethical Standards Commissioner from Councillor Alec Leishman, which has since been accepted for investigation. He considered the rant to include “bullying and offensive language”, which he found “distressing and upsetting” and incompatible with the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.
Councillor Mylet was asked by the commissioner to provide an explanation of his comments during the meeting on June 30 last year. The watchdog will consider the evidence and decide whether this indicates if there has been a contravention of the code.
If the complaint is upheld, Councillor Mylet will have an opportunity to consider the conclusion and provide comments before the outcome of the investigation is reported to the Standards Commission for Scotland. It could then decide to ask the Ethical Standards Commission to investigate further, hold a public hearing or take no action.
Councillor Leishman confirmed he wouldn’t comment while the matter is under investigation by the commissioner. A spokesperson for the watchdog confirmed on Friday that it continued to “consider a case regarding Councillor Will Mylet of Renfrewshire Council”.
Meanwhile, Councillor Mylet said this week: “I’ve not done anything wrong and I’m pretty certain I’m covered by my human rights under free speech. I did address some opinions, the rest of it was factual. If the Conservatives can’t handle the facts, they need to reconsider what party they want to be in.”
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