A shamed former SNP MP who was found to have sexually harassed a teenage staff member has secured a top job with a charity funded by the Scottish Government.
Patrick Grady has been appointed head of policy and communications for Scotland’s International Development Alliance (SIDA).
The Record first reported how an SNP staff member accused the then Glasgow North MP of pestering him in London’s Water Poet bar in 2016.
Grady stood down as SNP chief whip in the wake of the claims and the victim later complained to Westminster’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Service (ICGS).
Grady was later found by Westminster authorities to have made unwanted sexual advances to the staff member in 2016 by touching and stroking his hair, back and neck.
The former MP was ordered to make a public apology, as well as a private one to the victim.
He temporarily suspended his SNP membership in 2022 following the ruling and sat as an independent MP. He was readmitted to the Nationalist group at Westminster in December that year.
In his original interview with the Record, the staffer also alleged that Ian Blackford – the then SNP leader at Westminster – had tried to help resolve the Grady incident informally.
SIDA is a registered charity that helps organisations involved in international development, with most of its costs covered by the Scottish Government, reports the Daily Record.
It also receives funding from the UK Government as well as from members who pay an annual subscription.
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In a staff profile published on the SIDA website, it described how “Patrick served as the Member of Parliament for Glasgow North, and was active on a wide range of global justice issues throughout that time, chairing the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malawi.
The profile continued: “As head of policy and communications, Patrick works with members and external stakeholders, acting on opportunities for influence, and leading influencing and communications with key audiences.”
Grady was left off a list of approved SNP candidates ahead of the 2024 general election. He stepped down as an MP ahead of the vote in July, which saw the Nationalists wiped out by Labour in Glasgow.
Grady’s victim last night said his appointment by SIDA sent a “troubling message about how seriously they take safeguarding”.
They told the Sunday Post: “Employing someone with a documented history of inappropriate behaviour towards teenage colleagues sends a troubling message about how seriously they take safeguarding and accountability.
“Their decision to employ Patrick Grady calls into question the integrity of their leadership and their commitment to upholding the values they claim to represent”.
Grady apologised in Parliament in 2022 and told MPs he was “profoundly sorry”.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government told the Sunday Post: “Scotland’s International Development Alliance is an independent organisation and we have no role in their staffing appointments”.
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