North-east MSP Lewis Macdonald has backed Labour’s decision to suspend the party’s entire Aberdeen group – despite being married to one of the councillors.
Party bosses handed out the punishments after Labour members at Aberdeen City Council defied a ruling by the Scottish Executive Committee and signed up to coalition deal with the Conservatives.
Mr Macdonald said party leader Kezia Dugdale was “right to follow the rules” when she decided to suspend every Labour councillor at the authority.
The Labour politician, whose wife Sandra is one of the councillors suspended, said: “The matter on the council is for councillors to comment on.
“As far as my Labour colleagues are concerned clearly they made a judgement call that they followed through.”
When asked on his own opinion, the MSP said it was “not for me to say”.
He told the Evening Express: “In terms of Kezia, she was right to follow the rules of the party and that’s entirely appropriate.
“The Scottish Executive Committee made a judgement and clearly only the people in the room will know the grounds with which they made that judgement.
“Of course Sandra and I are married and not just are we husband and wife, but we have both been politically active together.
“So of course we discuss all these matters as you’d expect.”
Meanwhile, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accused Kezia Dugdale of leading Labour into meltdown and said they party’s “civil war” showed that “if you vote Labour you’ll get Tory”.
She added: “As leader of the Scottish Labour Party she is not in control of her own party because she can’t stop her councillors going into coalition with Tories up and down the country.”
Asked whether the actions of the Aberdeen group had undermined her leadership, Ms Dugdale said: “No, because I’ve been very clear that they don’t act as Labour councillors when they’re passing on Tory cuts in Aberdeen.”