John Swinney’s decision to appoint Kirsten Oswald, a newly elected MSP embroiled in a series of scandals, as minister for victims and community safety has been condemned as “disgusting and insulting” by whistleblowers. Oswald, 53, was handpicked by the First Minister shortly after the SNP’s victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite her central role in multiple controversies involving the silencing and bullying of whistleblowers.
Oswald’s Troubled Record
Oswald, a former SNP deputy Westminster leader, has been at the heart of several scandals. As chair of the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), she presided over a “pile-on” against fellow NEC member Allison Graham when Graham tried to raise concerns about SNP finances. At Westminster, Oswald shut down a young party worker who complained about sexual harassment by ex-MP Patrick Grady. She was also allegedly informed of sex abuse and grooming claims against jailed ex-SNP council boss Jordan Linden. Prior to becoming an MP, she was head of HR at South Lanarkshire College as a scandal involving fraud, theft, and systematic bullying began to unfold.
Whistleblower Condemns Appointment
Allison Graham, who resigned from the SNP’s Finance and Audit Committee (FAC) in 2021 over accounting concerns, expressed outrage at Oswald’s promotion. “She is supposed to be the ‘victims’ minister’ and whistleblowers have got to have confidence that she has their back,” Graham told the Sunday Mail. “But she has demonstrated that her intent was to close things down and to allow a vile attack. She not only didn’t step in, she joined in.” Graham called it “an absolutely appalling judgment call from John Swinney,” adding, “He’s telling everybody he solved the problem while surrounding himself with the ones that caused it.”
The NEC Meeting and Aftermath
Graham was part of a wave of reformist candidates elected to the SNP’s NEC in 2020 to improve governance. Former treasurer Douglas Chapman asked her, along with Cynthia Guthrie and Frank Ross, to join the FAC. However, she was blocked by then-CEO Peter Murrell—Nicola Sturgeon’s husband—from scrutinising party finances. The trio resigned in March 2021, followed by Chapman and Joanna Cherry from the NEC. At an infamous virtual NEC meeting, Graham read out their resignation statement and was met with a vicious pile-on. After former councillor Ian Cockburn launched a furious rant, Sturgeon posted “Well said, Ian” in the group chat. Other members, including now-MSP Heather Anderson, joined in. When Graham defended herself, Oswald retorted, “Well Alison you have just read it out to the whole NEC so that is neither here nor there.”
Sturgeon later warned officials to be “very careful” about suggesting problems with party finances, in footage first revealed by the Sunday Mail. This came two months before police launched Operation Branchform, which led to Murrell’s conviction for embezzling £400,000 from the SNP. He was jailed for five years on Tuesday. Oswald failed to properly record the resignation statement in the official minutes. Graham said, “It was like a fight club - what happens in the NEC stays in the NEC. The way Kirsten spoke to me was as if she was slapping me across the knees.” She added, “Nicola was clearly content that Kirsten would manage the meetings the way she wanted them to be managed. It was completely controlling and toxic.”
Further Criticism from Former SNP Figures
Caroline McAllister, former SNP women’s convener, said the bullying she witnessed was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” and led her to quit. “It was just the force of verbal aggression aimed at an elected official who had raised very worrying concerns,” she said. McAllister also highlighted the mistreatment of the young staffer who complained about Patrick Grady. “It’s almost like she’s got a reward for being a good little gatekeeper. And then to make her the minister for victims is just crass,” she said. “Kirsten Oswald is no friend to victims.”
Handling of Patrick Grady Complaint
In 2022, it emerged that Oswald threatened disciplinary action against the 19-year-old staffer who raised complaints about Grady’s harassment in 2016. Then-SNP Commons leader Ian Blackford tried to handle the incident informally in 2018. Three years later, Oswald warned the staffer he could be sanctioned if he did not “desist,” and his parliament email account was locked. A year later, Commons sleaze watchdogs found Grady had touched him inappropriately. McAllister said, “It was utterly disgraceful to me the way that young man was treated after Patrick Grady's sexual harassment.”
Political Reactions
Former Tory-turned-Reform MSP Graham Simpson, who spoke out about the South Lanarkshire College scandal, said, “Kirsten Oswald has faced serious questions for years. Her name has repeatedly surfaced in connection with some of the SNP’s most damaging controversies, yet many of those questions remain unanswered.” He called for a full public statement from Oswald. Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said, “How can any victim of heinous wrongdoing have any faith in someone who attempted to silence the person who made complaints to her about Patrick Grady and shut down whistleblowers raising concerns over Murrell and SNP finances?” She added, “Swinney has shown, yet again, his appalling judgement, and victims deserve better.”
SNP Response
An SNP spokeswoman denied the allegations, stating, “As business convener, Kirsten Oswald was committed to transparency and she took many steps to improve accountability and governance within the SNP. The criminal wrongdoing of Peter Murrell was uncovered by a complex and extensive Police investigation years after the events in question. The SNP was the victim of that wrongdoing.”
