An independent inquiry has been demanded into how convicted wife-beater Bill Walker was allowed to stand as an SNP Holyrood candidate despite the party being alerted to allegations against him.
A by-election will take place after Walker, from Alloa, quit as Dunfermline MSP at the weekend citing a “media onslaught” against him.
The 71-year-old’s decision to stand down from his £58,000-a-year job came just days after he told The Courier: “I never had any plans to vacate my seat and that’s it.”
Speculation is mounting that October 24 could be voting day, given the Dunfermline South council contest to replace Mike Rumney, who died in July, will take place then.
Dunfermline and West Fife MP Thomas Docherty said that date provided best value for taxpayers.
Opposition politicians have now turned their attention to what the SNP knew about Walker’s past when he made the step up from councillor to parliamentary candidate.
Rob Armstrong, Walker’s former brother-in-law, has said he gave a dossier including court documents revealing the politician’s violent past and a newspaper article where he admitted beating his former stepdaughter with a saucepan to staff at Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s constituency office in 2008.
Ms Sturgeon has claimed she did not know a complaint was made to her office but insisted it had been fully investigated by party headquarters. That investigation was led by her husband, Peter Murrell.
Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said removing Walker “was the priority”, but added an independent-led inquiry was needed into the SNP’s internal processes around the case.
Mr Rennie added: “We need to know how this was allowed to happen, why a decision was made not to properly investigate the allegations and who made the decision.”
Scottish Labour’s Graeme Pearson said: “As a former police chief, I have investigated a few alibis in my time and I think people need to check Nicola Sturgeon’s. It simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.”
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said: “There are difficult questions here for the SNP to answer.”
An SNP spokesman said changes in internal procedures were made following a review by party president and Angus MEP Ian Hudghton following Walker’s expulsion once the allegations were made public.
He added: “In regard to Mr Walker, the investigation conducted by a member of staff at SNP HQ did not find any evidence of any complaint in law or legal proceedings into domestic violence by Mr Walker, and the inquiry was then closed.”
In a statement distributed by “crisis PR” Iain Maciver, Walker said: “It has been increasingly difficult for my wife and my staff to deal with the media interest in my case. That same media onslaught has also made it impossible to properly represent my constituents and their interests.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Parliament said Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick has received the resignation, effective from Monday.For the latest, see Tuesday’s Courier or tryour digital edition.