Scotland's Justice Secretary, Angela Constance, has narrowly survived a motion of no confidence in Holyrood, but now faces mounting pressure for an independent investigation into her conduct. The Scottish Labour Party is demanding that independent advisers examine whether Ms Constance breached the ministerial code over comments she made about an expert's stance on grooming gangs.
Vote Defeated but Political Fallout Continues
The motion of no confidence, brought by the Scottish Conservatives and supported by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, was defeated by 67 votes to 57, with one abstention. Despite this result, the political storm surrounding the Justice Secretary shows no sign of abating. Immediately after the vote, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar wrote to the three independent advisers on the Scottish Government's ministerial code, urging them to launch a formal investigation.
Mr Sarwar expressed serious concern that Ms Constance had "misled Parliament on perhaps one of the most serious issues in her brief". He accused her of repeatedly refusing to correct the parliamentary record after stating that abuse expert Professor Alexis Jay shared her view that no inquiry was needed into grooming gangs in Scotland. Sarwar labelled this a "clear and indefensible breach" of the ministerial code, made worse by the gravity of the subject matter concerning child sexual exploitation.
The Core of the Controversy: Misrepresented Views?
The controversy stems from remarks Ms Constance made in Holyrood in September. Facing calls for an inquiry into grooming gangs, she told MSPs that Professor Jay, who chaired the UK's Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, agreed with her that such a probe was unnecessary for Scotland.
However, documents released by the Scottish Government last week revealed that Professor Jay had contacted Ms Constance afterwards to urge her to clarify those statements. The expert insisted her comments had "nothing to do" with the situation in Scotland. This revelation prompted the no confidence motion and the subsequent calls for an investigation.
During the debate, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay accused the Justice Secretary of "misleading the public, Parliament and grooming gang victims". He argued that Ms Constance had neither admitted her mistake nor apologised, framing the issue as one of fundamental honesty and integrity in government. "Here's the choice," Findlay told MSPs. "We can say it is acceptable for ministers to mislead and to cover up, or we can say that there should be reasonable consequences for doing so."
Defence from the First Minister and Ongoing Scrutiny
First Minister John Swinney staunchly defended his cabinet colleague, telling the chamber he had "full confidence" in Ms Constance. He described her as a "sincere minister who would never address Parliament in a way that would ever mislead Parliament or the public".
Mr Swinney highlighted her work shepherding four Bills through Holyrood and her handling of complex justice issues, including the rising prison population. He urged MSPs to reject the motion to allow her to continue her work on making Scotland safer.
Despite surviving the vote, the demand for an independent probe ensures the spotlight remains firmly on the Justice Secretary. Anas Sarwar emphasised that victims and survivors of grooming gangs had "lost confidence" in Ms Constance, stating she had failed to put them first by not acting with integrity and truth. The First Minister countered that a "whole series of actions" were in place to address victims' concerns, citing the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry established in 2015.
