Kezia Dugdale was told she couldn’t go on I’m A Celeb – but defied Scottish Labour party bosses to enter the jungle anyway
KEZIA Dugdale was told she couldn't go on I'm A Celebrity - but defied Scottish Labour party bosses to enter the jungle anyway.
New leader Richard Leonard said his predecessor had sought permission to take part in the show – but added his understanding was that it had not been agreed before she flew out to Australia.
Labour MSPs at Holyrood will now have to consider if his predecessor, who dramatically quit the top job north of the border in August, should be suspended or not.
The party’s overall UK leader Jeremy Corbyn has already said that this would not be appropriate, arguing it was Ms Dugdale's choice to take part in the ITV reality programme.
She is expected to enter the show next week as a surprise late contestant, but her decision to take part has already prompted angry reactions from within Labour – with her MSP colleague calling the move "utterly ludicrous".
Nicola Sturgeon weighed in on the row today, warning she would not want an SNP MSP to take part - but the First Minister added that she thought Scottish Labour was a 'nest of vipers' worth escaping.
It has been reported Ms Dugdale asked Labour's chief whip James Kelly for permission to go - but was told it could not be given before the election of her successor was concluded on Saturday.
She is then believed to have asked both Mr Leonard and his leadership rival Anas Sarwar if she could have three weeks leave for a charity project - but did say it was I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.
Following his win Mr Leonard, speaking to BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, said he would ask MSPs if she should be sanctioned on her return.
He said: "I've said over the weekend that we need to consider it and I've also expressed my own personal disappointment that that was a decision she has chosen to make.
"There are issues, not just the fact that she is there and the kind of programme it is and people's view of that, there is also a question about whether she got permission to do it."
Pressed on whether Ms Dugdale had been given the party's backing to take part in the show, he stated: "My understanding is she sought permission and wasn't given permission."
Mr Leonard added: "There is going to need to be a proper discussion about it, the circumstances around it and whether it is appropriate to take action or not.
"I am not persuaded the immediate step that the Labour Party needs to take is to suspend Kezia from membership of the Labour Party but I do think we need to have a discussion about it."