A SCOTTISH Conservative councillor has quit the party after claiming an MSP has been treated “appallingly” by senior Tories after rising concerns about bullying.
North Ayrshire councillor Todd Ferguson said that Meghan Gallacher has been the victim of a “cowardly smear campaign” after speaking out against “threatening behaviour” which was the “final straw” for him, leading to his recognition.
Gallacher was one of five candidates in the Scottish Tory leader contest last year, with Russell Findlay replacing Douglas Ross in September.
The MSP for Central Scotland lodged a complaint amid claims Tory MP John Lamont had told members she was dropping out of the race and would endorse another candidate, Murdo Fraser.
Gallacher reportedly said during a subsequent phone call to discuss the matter, she felt Lamont threatened her future political career.
Lamont denied the allegations and said at the time he was considering legal action.
On social media, Ferguson, who was hired by Gallacher to work in her office, quit the party after posting a lengthy resignation statement stating the party had “lost its way, its moral authority, and its integrity.”
He wrote: “The way Meghan Gallacher MSP, an exceptional politician and inspirational young mother, has been treated by this party, after having the courage and confidence to stand in the leadership contest and then for bravely speaking out about bullying and threatening behaviour, is appalling.
“A complaint was made in good faith. Instead of handling it with the discretion and seriousness it deserved, senior figures have weaponised the findings by leaking them to the Daily Mail to launch another cowardly smear campaign against Meghan. That’s not just a failure of process, it’s a failure of character.
“For me, this is the final straw in a long and growing list.
“This is a party that has lost its way, its moral authority, and its integrity. It no longer upholds conservative values, it twists them, abandons them, and then talks of ‘common sense’ as if that excuses the rot at its core.”
Ferguson said that his decision to resign from the Tory Party was not a reflection of his local group and that he will continue to represent North Ayrshire as an independent.
He added: “I will not be complicit in propping up a party that now punishes integrity and protects arrogance.
“I will serve the remainder of my council term as an Independent. And I’ll be watching carefully, as many are, to see what new political movement may rise to give voice to the decent, forgotten working class majority in Britain.”
