Monica Lennon says bullying claims are 'a work of fiction'

Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra says his party has received no formal complaints amid bullying allegations against Monica Lennon.

The Scotsman reported that Lennon has been accused of bullying by a number of former members of staff.

A senior Scottish Labour source told the newspaper multiple staff had signed confidentiality agreements after complaining about Lennon’s behaviour, and some also received lump sum payments. Union sources also confirmed they had dealt with complaints from staff.

The Labour MSP failed to get re-elected in May but returned to Holyrood last month to replace Anas Sarwar when he left for the House of Lords.

She attempted to stand for the party leadership but did not get the necessary level of backing.

She described the allegations as “completely untrue and defamatory”.

Speaking to reporters in Holyrood this morning, Marra said: “I spoke to Monica last night, obviously after the reports came out.

“I can confirm neither the Labour group nor the party have complaints at the moment.”

He said the party would follow “due process”.

“If there are complaints, they will be treated with respect and looked at but we don’t have complaints at the moment.”

Following Marra’s comments, Lennon said the report about her was “a work of fiction”.

She said: “It’s reassuring again to hear today from both Scottish Labour and the parliament that there have been no complaints or formal allegations, which is what I've always believed. This is a story that was first put to me during the summer during the leadership contest, and I felt we had dealt with it based on the truth and honesty. It’s come back; nothing’s changed. It’s untrue.”