A WOULD-BE Labour candidate is at the centre of a formal complaint over claims he failed to tell the party a judge had previously described him as “evasive” and “untruthful”.
Asim Khan is in the running to be Labour’s candidate for the key Westminster seat of Glasgow South West, where the SNP has a slim majority of just 60.
But now an office bearer in Labour’s local party in Pollok has called for an investigation into Mr Khan’s alleged failure to tell the party about a 2016 employment tribunal in which a judge criticised him.
READ MORE: Glasgow Labour hopeful Asim Khan was branded "untruthful" and "evasive" by tribunal judge
Alison Campbell Glass has written to Labour’s general secretary Brian Roy, insisting: “I would ask that you immediately investigate both Asim Khan’s non-disclosure and his actions in this case, with a view to determining whether he is a fit and proper person to be a Labour candidate.”
She raised the judge’s comments, and added: “The complete quotes, and others that may be in the full record of this case, would be absolutely devastating if used in leaflets and other media by our political opponents.”
Mr Khan was previously chair of Roshni, a charity for ethnic minority survivors of sexual abuse.
In 2016, a tribunal ordered Roshni and its founder Ali Khan to jointly pay an anonymous staffer £75,000 following a “lengthy and sustained series of acts of harassment and victimisation” by Ali Khan and another man.
Asim Khan was mentioned in the ruling over what the judge described as his “complete failure” to take steps to protect the claimant in his role as chair. It also found he was “evasive” during cross-examination and “untruthful”.
It is understood the woman who raised the case at the tribunal has never received her £75,000 compensation.
Mr Khan is currently taking Labour to court amid claims of racism after an internal ruling resulted in around 80 local members – many from ethnic minority backgrounds – not being eligible to vote in the selection process for Glasgow South West.
READ MORE: Lawyer who was branded "untruthful" by judge is taking Scottish Labour to court amid race row
Dozens of members were denied the chance to have their say following the decision. The row involves the “freeze date” which, one agreed, gives everyone who has been a member for six months a vote.
Many of those who signed up to support Scottish Labour MSP Anas Sarwar’s leadership bid last year – which includes thousands of people from the Asian community – will fall just short of being eligible.
Mr Khan wants a judicial review of the freeze date put in place by Labour’s governing Scottish Executive Committee, with his Court of Session petition branding the decision “irrational, unreasonable, illegal and ultra vires”.
He described the formal complaint to Mr Roy as “yet another malicious attack on my candidacy”.
He said: “I am proud of my role with Roshni and the charitable work we did for vulnerable ethnic minority communities in Glasgow.
“As chair, I acted appropriately at all times and provided the tribunal with an accurate account of my knowledge of the claims.
“My entire focus is on becoming the Labour candidate for Glasgow South West so that I can stand up for people in this community who desperately need a government that works for the many, not the few.”
He added: “I was not the subject of the tribunal investigation and had actually left before it concluded.”
A Scottish Labour spokesman said: “We don’t comment on leaks.”
Mr Khan is up against Glasgow councillor Matt Kerr, whose father is the chairman of UK Labour’s national executive committee, Andy Kerr.
Glasgow South West was retained by the SNP’s Chris Stephens in last year’s General Election. It has one of the smallest majorities in Scotland.
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