MONICA Lennon, one of the rising stars of Scottish Labour, has revealed she was groped by a senior figure in the party and that male witnesses and colleagues treated it as a joke.

The Central Scotland MSP said she felt “disappointed, hurt, embarrassed and let down”.

After initially reporting the matter to Labour HQ, she decided not to pursue it as she felt that, like other women in all walks of life, she would not be believed.

Ms Lennon, 36, is the most senior politician so far to reveal a sexual assault.

Last week activist Bex Bailey said she had been raped in 2011 and been advised not to report it, while Ava Etemadzadeh said she had been touched by an MP in 2014.

Ms Lennon said she had been attacked in a “room full of people” at a Labour party social event in 2013, while she was a South Lanarkshire Councillor.

She said: “A man, who was a senior figure in the party, touched me in a manner that some would say is 'handsy'.

“He was sitting next to me when he groped me, in full view of other people. He touched my body, in an intimate way, without invitation or permission.

"It's possible at least half a dozen people saw exactly what happened.

“One man, who at the time was a Labour politician, joked to everyone in earshot, 'That's your fault for coming over here and getting him all excited'.

"A few days later I ran into another man who had seen what happened and he made a jokey reference to it.

"The underlying message was clear, the whole thing was to be treated as a joke."

She said the culprit was “older and had been in the party for decades” and was “powerful, influential and well-respected”, but did not say if he was ever a politician.

“I continued to encounter the man who assaulted me through my political activities although I kept my distance. I got no sense that he in any way understood what he had done.”

However she was optimistic there was now a willingness to “lift the lid on the toxic culture that breeds this behaviour”.

Both candidates in the Scottish Labour leadership race condemned what had happened.

Richard Leonard said: “I am appalled that my friend and comrade has had to face this. Monica's bravery to speak out should not be in vain. Our party must do more to be part of the solution.

"That means zero tolerance for a culture that permits the abuse of power in politics and across society and seeks to silence those who have been wronged.”

Anas Sarwar, who was deputy leader of Scottish Labour at the time of the attack, said it was not an isolated incident, adding: “I hope everyone across Scotland would be distressed at what we read in the news this morning.

"What we have got to try and do is create the space for women to be able to come forward and speak, if they wish to do so, and fundamentally take this culture head on.

"This culture of people abusing their position of power to have these inappropriate interactions is unacceptable in our society."

Scottish Labour said it took all complaints of sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination "extremely seriously" but would not reopen Ms Lennon's complaint without her permission.

A spokesperson said: “We ask that anyone with a complaint comes forward so that allegations can be properly investigated. When evidence of misconduct comes to light, all appropriate disciplinary action is taken in line with the Party’s rule book and procedures.

“The Party has been working with its affiliates to develop procedures specifically designed to deal with complaints of sexual harassment and safeguarding issues in order to improve internal processes and make it easier to report concerns.”

The sleaze scandal that has led to calls for a fundamental shift in UK political culture claimed its first Holyrood scalp on Saturday, with the resignation of the SNP childcare minister.

Mark McDonald, 37, said previous attempts “to have been merely humorous or attempting to be friendly... might have made others uncomfortable or led them to question my intentions”.

The Aberdeen Donside MSP, a married father of two, apologised "unreservedly to anyone I have upset or who might have found my behaviour inappropriate".

The news broke as Nicola Sturgeon and several members of her cabinet gathered in South Lanarkshire to mark the 50th anniversary of Winnie Ewing’s Hamilton by-election victory.

Government sources last night played down speculation of a reshuffle, saying Mr McDonald would be replaced in a very limited “one for one” manoeuvre.

Education Secretary John Swinney will now take over his ministerial responsibilities.

The SNP suffered further embarrassment when a Sunday newspaper revealed MSP Willie Coffey was the subject of a recent complaint from a former female worker at Holyrood.

Made six months ago by a civil servant then attached to Holyrood’s finance committee, it concerned “inappropriate language” and “unsolicited attention” in person and in email.

The Kilmarnock & Irvine Valley MSP, 59, said he did not recognise the claims made about his behaviour and had not been informed by parliament of a formal complaint.

However the Scottish Parliament confirmed it had acted upon a complaint from a member of our staff about an MSP who was “reported to the human resources office”.

A spokesman said: “The matter was dealt with appropriately and our employee was satisfied with the action taken.”

Committee convener Bruce Crawford also confirmed raising the matter with Mr Coffey and the matter was considered closed.

An SNP spokesperson added: “As Parliament have stated, this matter was dealt with appropriately and to the satisfaction of the individual involved."