THE SNP’s national secretary is facing calls to immediately resign over allegations that he “rigged” a complaints process against a prospective parliamentary candidate.
Alex Kerr, a Glasgow councillor who was elected to the national secretary role at the 2024 SNP conference, is accused of failing to provide five witness statements and an audio recording of the alleged offence to a committee considering a bullying complaint against Toni Giugliano.
Giugliano, a former SNP policy chief, had been aiming to stand in Falkirk West at the 2026 Holyrood elections but he was removed from the candidacy ballot after the party's Member Conduct Committee (MCC) upheld a complaint against him.
The decision was appealed and the Conduct Appeals Committee – overseen by Kay Springham KC – found that the handling of the complaint had been “procedurally unfair and prejudiced the member to a significant extent".
The only two witness statements which Kerr had provided to the MCC were from Falkirk Council leader Cecil Meiklejohn, who made the initial complaint, and Dumfries and Galloway councillor Katie Hagmann.
The decision of the appeal, seen by The National, stated that Kerr had "evidence from a number of persons who had been present during the incident, but this evidence was not provided to the MCC”.
It added that Kerr “stated at the hearing that he saw his role as akin to the procurator fiscal in a criminal matter, and that he did not need to provide evidence other than that in support of the complaint”.
It is understood that the MCC gives a respondent at least 14 days to present their own witness statements or other evidence before a hearing, which they can also attend in person.
However, the appeal decision states that five witness statements were “not provided” by Kerr to the MCC although they "should have" been, and the audio was not provided until after the hearing.
It adds: “The audio recording should have been provided to the MCC ahead of its hearing … It was for the MCC to form a view as to its relevance, and what it could or could not take from it. It was not for [Kerr] to decide on its relevance.”
A source close to Giugliano said: “It appears they’ve gone full Trump – denying the unanimous findings of their own appeals committee – presided by a top KC – all to save Alex Kerr’s skin.
“The report speaks for itself. Kerr should resign.”
Declan McGavin, the SNP MSYP for Falkirk East and an ally of Giugliano, said Kerr had “rigged the process” and should “resign immediately”.
“It's been going on for almost a year now, and we've seen Alex Kerr fail in his role as national secretary over and over again,” he told The National.
McGavin said the audio of the alleged bullying had been submitted “the day after the incident had taken place and [Kerr] acknowledged that he received it”.
He said he believed that, had the MCC heard the audio during the hearing, the case would have been thrown out.
The Youth MSP went on: “[Kerr] should resign immediately. He withheld the evidence to rig the process. It’s entirely unacceptable.
“If we want members of the SNP to have confidence in the leadership and trust in the internal processes, there has to be some sort of accountability.”
“I feel totally deceived as a member,” they said. “I submitted a witness statement, as did four other members, and I was shocked to discover that none of our statements were ever seen by the [MCC]. That’s not justice – that’s manipulation. Justice means truth being heard, and in this case, our voices were silenced.
“Alex Kerr should do the right thing and resign because justice demands accountability.”
They went on: “Alex Kerr’s actions were not an innocent mistake – they were a deliberate power grab that shredded members’ votes in what should have been a fair, democratic process …
“This isn’t just about Toni – it’s about our legal and democratic rights as members. If this goes unchallenged, it sets a precedent that the leadership can strip any member’s choice from the ballot under the guise of a manufactured complaint. That cannot stand in a party that claims to value democracy.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “We can’t comment on the details of individual disciplinary matters.
“Once the conduct and appeals elements of a complaint has concluded, it is reported to the next meeting of national conference as part of the due process.”
Kerr did not respond when approached for comment.
According to the SNP’s accounts, the role of the national secretary is to act “as guardian of the constitution of the party and [be] responsible for reporting cases of breaches of the Code of Conduct to the Member Conduct Committee”.
Elections to the position are held at each SNP national conference, meaning Kerr will face a challenge in October this year unless no other candidates come forward.
The role had been held by Lorna Finn from November 2021 until she stepped back in 2024.
Kerr beat three other candidates, Michael Gregori, John Haston, and Adam Nols-McVey, to win the right to replace her.
