Angela Constance: Labour lodges motion of no confidence in justice secretary

Labour leader Anas Sarwar has lodged a bid to force justice secretary Angela Constance from office.

The SNP minister last night faced calls to go in a row over Professor Alexis Jay and grooming gangs.

Constance quoted Jay in a parliament debate and insisted she had done so accurately.

In a newly-released letter, Jay told Constance her wording was correct, but clarified that she was speaking in a different context.

The Scottish Conservatives have led calls for Constance’s removal from post, with former leader Douglas Ross last night urging John Swinney to sack her.

Now Sarwar has submitted a motion of no confidence in the justice secretary.

He said: “She misrepresented Professor Alexis Jay on the serious issue of grooming gangs and misled parliament. She has had repeated opportunities to apologise and correct the record, but failed to do so. She can’t remain in her position.”

Constance, a former social worker, was not present in the chamber yesterday as Ross raised an urgent question about her quotation of Jay.

In September the Tories sought an amendment to the Scottish Government’s Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, which would have led to a grooming gangs inquiry if taken forward.

But Constance argued against this, and said Jay, who headed work on the subject in England and Wales, did not want any more inquiries.

In a message to Constance, Jay said she had been speaking on a different point which “had nothing to do with [the Conservatives’] amendment, or the position in Scotland, as could be interpreted from your statement”.

Ross said: “Angela Constance’s position is completely untenable. She must resign immediately or John Swinney should sack her.

Ross said Constance had committed “a clear breach of the ministerial code” and tried to carry out a cover-up. He said: “Consequences must follow.”

Children's minister Natalie Don-Innes told parliament: “Ms Constance did not state that Professor Jay was speaking directly about the amendment. She made a general point on Professor Jay's views on calls for inquiries, and that she also wanted to get on with the work needed to protect our children, and given the seriousness of the issue at hand, I think that should be all of our focus in this parliament going forward.”