Kezia Dugdale given formal warning over reality TV appearance
Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has been given a written warning by the party as she returned to work at the Scottish Parliament after two weeks in Australia.
Dugdale left work to appear on reality TV show I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, despite being refused permission to do so by the party.
Scottish Labour said no further disciplinary action would be taken.
Following a meeting of the Scottish Labour Parliamentary Group Executive yesterday, Scottish Labour Business Manager James Kelly said: “Today Kezia Dugdale MSP was interviewed by the Scottish Labour Parliamentary Group Executive regarding her unauthorised absence from Parliament for three weeks.
“Following a discussion between Richard Leonard, Kezia Dugdale, and the group executive, it has been decided that the group will reprimand Ms Dugdale by way of written warning. She will not face further action.
“Tomorrow Scotland faces the most important budget since devolution, with local services facing huge cuts that will hit the poorest the hardest. The Labour family must now come together to oppose these cuts and outline fairer alternatives that ends austerity and lifts children out of poverty.”
Dugdale said: “I deeply regret that this caused issues in the first weeks of Richard Leonard’s leadership and I am determined that it won’t affect Labour’s ability to scrutinise the Scottish Budget.
“Now I’m getting back to work – and the very first thing I did was to vote with Labour for a fairer alternative to Tory austerity and demonstrate that parliament has the powers to stop the cuts and lift children out of poverty.”
As she took her seat in the Holyrood chamber, Scottish Conservative MSP Adam Tomkins welcomed her "back from the jungle, but into the wilderness".
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