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An investigation has determined that Justice Secretary Angela Constance breached the ministerial code following her remarks about Professor Alexis Jay, an expert on grooming gangs, during a parliamentary session. Although the SNP minister was found to have misrepresented Professor Jay’s stance on inquiries related to child sexual abuse and exploitation, Scotland’s independent advisers concluded that the breaches were unintentional and not made with any deliberate intent to mislead.
The incident traces back to September, when Constance cited Professor Jay—who is conducting a review of grooming gang evidence in Scotland—stating that the expert did not endorse further public inquiries into grooming gangs. Professor Jay later contacted the government to clarify that her comment did not pertain to Scotland, contradicting the impression given in parliament. Following these events, an independent inquiry identified two specific breaches of the ministerial code by Constance.
The first breach concerned the potential for Constance’s statements about Professor Jay to mislead parliament, particularly since the inaccuracies were not corrected promptly after being brought to the government’s attention. However, the advisers emphasized there was no proof that Constance knowingly provided false information or intentionally misled members of parliament. The second breach involved a telephone call where Constance apologized to Professor Jay without officials from the government present, which was judged an error of judgment made in the moment rather than a deliberate act.
In a parliamentary statement, Constance accepted the inquiry’s findings entirely and issued an apology to the first minister, underscoring that she never intended to misinform parliament. Despite surviving a vote of no confidence brought by opposition MSPs, the justice secretary faced calls for her resignation from political rivals. The controversy was further fueled by reactions from victims’ families and prompted the Scottish government to initiate a national review of grooming gang evidence, led by Professor Jay and an expert panel, to determine whether a judge-led inquiry is warranted. This review continues to address the fundamental issue at the heart of the dispute
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