Labour candidate Wilma Brown looked like an increasingly safe bet to become the new MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy at the next General Election.
Yet now her prospective political career lies in tatters after she was suspended by the party for liking and sharing offensive posts on social media.
The high-profile controversy raises major questions over Labour’s current strategy for vetting candidates.
If the party’s current processes are robust, why was this missed?
What did Fife Labour hopeful do?
Ms Brown’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, liked offensive posts which were targeting Humza Yousaf.
One branded him the “First Minister of Gaza” and another called him “Hamas Yousless”, due to his support for ending the conflict in Palestine.
Mr Yousaf’s wife Nadia El-Nakla is of Palestinian heritage, and her parents were trapped in Gaza last October when violence escalated.
Ms Brown’s account, later deleted, also liked a post which claimed a former Tory candidate could “never be an Englishman” due to his Indian heritage.
The Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy candidate was swiftly suspended by Labour after the posts were condemned as “racist” by the SNP.
But did anyone see this coming, or did it blindside her party?
Major shock
Labour insiders said they were “completely shocked” at the tweets liked and reposted by Ms Brown’s account.
One source said they had “never heard a bad word about Wilma” before her suspension on Wednesday.
Speaking to LBC, Scottish Labour chief Anas Sarwar said she had been regarded as a “phenomenal candidate”.
He added: “People were really shocked, because they didn’t feel like it was within the character of what they had selected.”
Ms Brown was a long-time trade union activist for Unison and NHS nurse before she was selected to contest the Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy constituency.
One party source agreed the revelations were a “surprise”, but said they were impressed at how Labour acted quickly.
Another insider told us: “Actions have consequences.
“You can’t be liking these posts. It’s not good enough.”
Is Labour at fault for missing this?
The ease with which Ms Brown’s likes were exposed on social media raise questions over why they were not spotted earlier.
They were brought to light this week when an SNP member in her constituency posted a lengthy thread on social media.
At national level, Labour under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer has been quick to stamp out dissent and remove controversial figures from the party where necessary.
Former leader Jeremy Corbyn still sits as an independent in Westminster after he was suspended in 2020 following a row over antisemitism.
His left-wing ally Diane Abbott met a similar fate last April over a letter she wrote to a newspaper about racism.
Last March, the party acted quickly in Fife by blocking former councillor Garry Haldane from standing in either Dunfermline or Kirkcaldy.
The postman had previously sparked anger after sharing “racist and sexist” posts on Facebook.
On a more bizarre note, Councillor Altany Craik stood down from the contest to run for the party in Glenrothes and Mid Fife after concerns were raised over his fantasy novels.
A source, speaking at the time the controversy erupted, said he had been deemed unsuitable as a candidate because his supernatural horror books were too “sexy and satanic”.
The SNP now wants Labour to launch an inquiry into how Ms Brown was selected.
It comes after the party was also forced to suspend a councillor in Glasgow who became embroiled in a racism row.
Mr Sarwar said: “We went through a really robust due diligence process with all of our candidates.”
But SNP Deputy Leader Keith Brown has asked whether the probe into Ms Brown’s comments will be “conducted swiftly” as the next election approaches.
A Labour spokesperson said: “Perhaps Keith Brown should be using the free time he now has after being sacked as his party’s general election chief to clean up house in the SNP.
“We believe that the public have a right to know that everyone we put forward at election time is of a high standard and we will act to ensure that is the case.”
A spokesperson for Unison trade union said: “Serious concerns have been raised about activity on Wilma Brown’s social media accounts.
“While the Labour Party conducts its own investigation into the matter, it would be inappropriate to say anything more.”
The SNP, of course, has had past controversies in the very same constituency.
Sitting MP Neale Hanvey was suspended in advance of the 2019 election over allegations he made anti-Semitic posts.
He was later allowed back into the SNP after the vote took place and he won the seat before defecting to Alex Salmond’s Alba Party in 2021.
One Labour source said all political candidates need to be “hyper-vigilant” about what they post on social media.
Party insiders say they feel a degree of sympathy for Ms Brown on a personal level given how quickly the scandal escalated.
Local MP Mr Hanvey shared those sentiments.
“I know how vulnerable comments on social media are,” he said. “It’d be churlish of me not to show at least some compassion toward Wilma.”
How will this affect the race for the seat?
With polling indicating a Labour resurgence in Scotland is coming, the party would have felt confident about regaining Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy.
Labour held the seat between 2017 and 2019, and only narrowly lost out at the last election despite a disastrous performance nationwide.
Yet with the SNP slumping in the polls across Scotland, Anas Sarwar’s party may remain favourites despite a difficult week.
And Mr Hanvey, who will be hoping for a miracle to retain for Alba, remains bullish about his own chances of causing an upset.
“If George Galloway can win in a by-election within this political context, then I suppose anything’s possible,” he said.
Conversation