Overview
- Investigators concluded the Justice Secretary unintentionally misled Holyrood in September when attributing support to Professor Alexis Jay for not holding a Scottish grooming gangs inquiry.
- An additional breach was identified for holding a December 1 phone call with Prof Jay without an official present on a sensitive matter.
- First Minister John Swinney accepted the advisers’ findings and issued a letter of reprove, requiring a statement to Parliament to clarify Constance’s words.
- The report assessed the breaches at the lower end of severity and found no intention to mislead, stopping short of recommending further sanction.
- Constance will remain in her role and is set to address MSPs on Tuesday, after previously apologising and surviving a December no-confidence vote.