Politician Jamie Hepburn steps down following accusation of physical violence
Scottish Government Minister Resigns Amid Assault Allegations
Jamie Hepburn, the Scottish Government's Parliamentary Business Minister, has resigned with immediate effect, following allegations of assaulting Tory MSP Douglas Ross. The incident was revealed during First Minister's Questions on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, after Mr. Ross used parliamentary procedure to delay a vote on landmark government legislation. According to reports, Mr. Hepburn is accused of grabbing Mr. Ross's shoulder and refusing to let go, and swearing at him in an aggressive manner.
Mr. Hepburn, who has been a government minister in a variety of roles for over a decade, admitted to acting against his own "personal code of conduct." In his resignation letter, he stated that he had not acted in accordance with his own personal code of practice.
First Minister John Swinney accepted Mr. Hepburn's resignation with personal regret. He thanked Mr. Hepburn for his work in government, but expressed disappointment over his slip in his normal approach of courtesy and respect.
Douglas Ross wrote a letter to the First Minister demanding a formal investigation into Mr. Hepburn's behaviour. He requested an independent adviser named Lord McCullough to conduct the investigation. Ross also expressed frustration that Mr. Swinney did not take the right action at the right time and sack his minister last night.
The SNP is under scrutiny for not taking action against Mr. Hepburn sooner. Ross claimed that he made a formal complaint and asked the First Minister to refer the incident to the independent advisors on the ministerial code.
In a personal apology to Mr. Ross, Mr. Hepburn expressed hope that his personal and professional undertakings were generally seen as courteous, but acknowledged that his interaction with Mr. Ross fell short of that standard.
As a result of his resignation, Mr. Hepburn will receive a resettlement grant of £8,769 following his time in government. The details of the investigation into the allegations against Mr. Hepburn are yet to be announced.
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