A former general election candidate for the Scottish Conservatives has been suspended from the party “subject to further inquiry”, after an allegation of sexual assault made in response to the #MeToo hashtag.
Stuart Cullen, who stood for the party in the Glasgow North constituency in June, is alleged to have assaulted a fellow student while both were studying at the University of Oxford.
The woman made the allegation on Instagram on Tuesday in what she described as “a difficult post to write”, saying she had been prompted by allegations of sexual assault at Westminster.
It is understood that Cullen denies the allegations, which he says are false and defamatory.
A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: “We take allegations like these extremely seriously. Mr Cullen has been suspended with immediate effect, subject to further inquiry.
“We would encourage anyone to report such allegations to the police.”
Cullen, who describes himself on his Twitter profile as a “proud Scot” living in London and working in private equity, has since suspended his social media account.
