Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra has stated that the party has received no formal complaints regarding MSP Monica Lennon, following media reports that four former staffers accused her of bullying behaviour.
Lennon, a Glasgow MSP, has rejected the allegations as entirely false and defamatory. The accusations emerged after The Scotsman published accounts from former members of her office staff describing a difficult workplace environment.
Marra, who defeated Lennon in the Scottish Labour leadership contest this summer, confirmed he had spoken directly with her. In a statement to reporters, he said:
My first priority in all of this is that people have a right to come to their work and to do their job, and to feel they can speak up about any issue at any time. I spoke to Monica last night. Obviously, after the reports came out, I can confirm that neither the Labour group or the party have complaints at the moment, and my process on this is to follow due process as we go forward.
The leadership race between Marra and Lennon took place following Anas Sarwar's decision to step down from his position and move to the House of Lords. Lennon had launched her bid to lead Scottish Labour in late July, warning the party faced "oblivion" without significant reform after its worst devolution election result. However, she failed to secure sufficient backing from colleagues to reach the ballot. Marra won the leadership election on 19 September 2026 with 63.19% of the vote, with 6,751 votes cast.
The allegations against Lennon centre on her conduct as an employer. One former staffer told The Scotsman that her office was a "toxic environment". Another alleged that the MSP "seemed to really enjoy making me feel stupid and deliberately tripped up, which was humiliating". One former staffer told The National they came close to a breakdown and cried every day at work.
Lennon responded to the allegations by stating:
There are rightly policies and procedures in place for any employee to raise concerns about their employers.She described the claims as "completely untrue and defamatory".
Why have no formal complaints been lodged?
Under Scottish Parliament rules, individual MSPs—rather than the parliament itself—employ their own staff, which creates a different complaint structure than exists for other employers. Multiple former staffers had signed confidentiality agreements after raising concerns, and some received lump-sum payments, according to reporting on the matter.
Paul Holleran, former Scotland organiser for the National Union of Journalists, represented one member of Lennon's staff and negotiated an exit package for them. He explained that while the complaint was not formally lodged with the party or parliament, it involved allegations of bullying behaviour that had significantly affected the staff member's mental health and wellbeing. Union sources from different organisations confirmed they had dealt with staff complaints, and Holleran said he had also raised wider concerns with party officials about the need for a parliamentary anti-bullying policy.
What is the parliamentary response?
The Scottish Parliament declined to comment on the specific allegations, describing them as a personnel matter. However, a spokesman emphasised that the institution maintains a "zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment". The parliament is implementing recommendations from a workplace review, including the creation of a confidential HR advice service for MSP staff.
What happens next?
Marra previously indicated that Lennon would be offered a position on his frontbench team, with the full composition of his leadership team expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The party's published timetable contains no scheduled further decision or hearing regarding the allegations.
Lennon was first elected as an MSP in 2016. She lost her seat in May's general election but was reinstated to the Scottish Parliament after Sarwar's departure to Westminster created a vacancy.
Key Facts
- Four former staffers accused Lennon of bullying; she denies all allegations as defamatory
- No formal complaints have been filed with Scottish Labour or the Scottish Parliament, though union representatives negotiated exit packages for at least one staff member
- Marra won the leadership election on 19 September 2026 with 63.19% of the vote
- The Scottish Parliament is implementing new workplace protections including a confidential HR advice service for MSP staff
- Lennon is expected to be offered a frontbench position in Marra's leadership team
