THE stand-in leader of the Scottish Tories has described claims one of his party’s MPs groped men in a Westminster bar as “completely unacceptable”.
Jackson Carlaw said the alleged behaviour of Ross Thomson, who represents Aberdeen South, fell “well below the standard I think any of us would expect”.
Mr Thomson is reported to have been escorted from Strangers’ Bar in the House of Commons on Tuesday night.
Police said they were called at around 11pm following a report of “sexual touching”, but no formal allegations were made and no one was arrested. Officers confirmed they spoke to three men in their 20s and 30s.
READ MORE: Scottish Tory alleged to have groped men condemned by ex-husband
Speaking to the media, Mr Carlaw said: “Like others, I became aware of alleged behaviour by one of my parliamentary colleagues in the House of Commons on Tuesday night from social media reports yesterday afternoon.
“Enquiries are ongoing. However, I know enough to say that the alleged behaviour is completely unacceptable and falls well below the standard I think any of us would expect of any elected representative.
“Those enquiries are ongoing, and we may have more to say at a later time.”
Asked if Mr Thomson should consider his position, he said: “Enquiries are ongoing at this time, but I can say – and I’m quite happy to say – his behaviour is completely unacceptable.”
Mr Carlaw is standing in for Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson while she is on maternity leave.
He said the party has never received complaints about Mr Thomson’s behaviour.
It comes after Mr Thomson’s ex-husband, Douglas Mathewson, said the claims were a “good insight into why we are no longer together”.
Writing on Twitter, he said: “I believe the gravity of actions as reported in the public domain should be enough to show them what he is really like.”
At Westminster, David Mundell, asked if Mr Thomson was a fit person to represent Aberdeen South, replied: "That matter is under investigation[by the party] and because of that it would be inappropriate to make any comment on it."
It is understood the backbencher could make a personal statement later today.
The allegations initially appeared on the Guido Fawkes political blog, which reported Mr Thomson was drunk and removed from the pub a number of times before police were called.
READ MORE: Colleagues of Ross Thomson MP 'worried about stress he was under from Brexit'
Mr Thomson is known as a “hardline” Brexiter and has previously been at the centre of a number of controversies.
In April 2018, he was criticised after joking about Saddam Hussein while on a trip to Iraq.
Colleagues said they were concerned about the pressure he was under.
One Tory MP said: “I have been worried about Ross. He has been under a lot of pressure with the workload and Brexit.”
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