Exclusive:High-profile Labour MSP Monica Lennon faces bullying claims

Concerns have been raised about Monica Lennon’s return to the Scottish Parliament and expected shadow cabinet position given claims relating to her previous stint as an MSP.

Ms Lennon described the allegations as “completely untrue and defamatory”.

She failed to hold on to her seat at May’s election but was returned on the list when Anas Sarwar was elevated to the Lords over the summer.

The 45-year-old threw her hat in the ring to replace party leader Mr Sarwar, but failed to obtain the backing of her parliamentary colleagues.

However, she is widely expected to land a key party role in the coming weeks.

Michael Marra, who won the leadership race, previously said he will offer Ms Lennon a position in his shadow cabinet. He is due to unveil his top team after Holyrood’s October recess.

READ MORE: Michael Marra named new leader of Scottish Labour

The Scotsman can now reveal at least four former staffers who worked for Ms Lennon have accused her of bullying.

A senior Scottish Labour source said multiple staff had signed confidentiality agreements after complaining about her behaviour, and some also received lump sum payments. Union sources - from different unions - confirmed they dealt with staff complaints.

Paul Holleran, the then-Scottish organiser for the National Union of Journalists, which represents some Holyrood staffers, said he dealt with members of Ms Lennon’s staff who accused her of bullying. He said cases were handled informally.

“I represented and advised people in bullying complaints, including Monica Lennon’s staff,” he told The Scotsman.

He said he also spoke to party officials about the situation and raised wider concerns to push for an anti-bullying policy to be introduced at the parliament.

It is understood senior Labour figures have been aware of claims about Ms Lennon’s behaviour.

Holyrood’s employment system means MSPs are the employer of their staff, not the party or the parliament.

One former staffer said they had entered the role in her parliamentary office with optimism, looking to work in politics in an “interesting, modern, engaging way” and described the position as a “dream job”.

However, they said the reality was very different.

They said: “I had never worked in a more toxic environment but it’s hard to explain just how difficult it was because so much of it was completely unreasonable and unpredictable, but to see her now with her reputation still intact is very challenging because I feel gaslit by the whole situation.”

Other former staffers - who did not work together or in the parliament at the same time - described similar issues.

They detailed a workplace that was “frantic” and “chaotic” in a manner far beyond the normal high-octane pace of the parliament.

Staffers would be “set on edge” by Ms Lennon’s “changing impulses,” one said.

They added: "I felt that she seemed to really enjoy making me feel stupid and deliberately tripped up, which was humiliating.”

“I came close to some form of breakdown,” the former employee said. “I was crying every day at work. It really got under my skin.

“It was so chaotic. I've worked for a lot of politicians over the years, and none of them were as bad as her.”

One former staffer said the issue was far broader than one MSP, saying the system in Holyrood provides very little protection for staffers and “abuse is rife”.

“You’re at once working in this huge workplace but your own actual workplace is tiny with just one or two other people,” they said.

“Where do you go for help? There isn’t immediate HR support.”

One former staffer said they had met with their trade union rep and were told they were “not the first person” to raise issues in relation to Ms Lennon.

A union representative working in the parliament at the time confirmed they dealt with multiple cases.

“I got to see and experience other people in parallel roles and it was not comparable,” a former staffer said.

“To this day I cannot quite get my head around why it seemed someone would choose to be so actively manipulative and mean to someone working for them.”

The situation has again raised concerns about protection for staff at Holyrood.

A senior insider said: “There will be dozens of people who have gone through and worked in that parliament for MSPs who have had awful experiences of one thing or another, be it bullying, harassment or sexual harassment, who have walked away with nothing because they feel there's no structure to support them.”

They said young, idealistic staff members in particular may not know where to go for support.

READ MORE: Union anger at Scottish Labour 'claiming ownership' of fire and rehire motion

Ms Lennon said: “While my policy has always been not to comment on staffing matters, these allegations are completely untrue and defamatory.

“There are rightly policies and procedures in place for any employee to raise concerns about their employers.”

Speaking to journalists in Holyrood on Thursday, Mr Marra said: “My first priority in all of this is that people have a right to come to their work and to do their job and to feel they can speak up about any issue at any time.”

He added: “I can confirm that neither the Labour group nor the party have complaints at the moment, and my process on this is to follow due process as we go forward.”

Asked what this meant, he said: “It means if there are complaints, they will be treated with respect and looked at. We don’t have complaints at the moment.”

The Scottish Parliament said it would not discuss, give out information or comment on a personnel-related matter.

A spokesman said: “The Scottish Parliament takes a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment and we are committed to creating a safe, respectful and inclusive working environment.

“We published the results of a dignity at work review earlier this year and are implementing the recommendations of that report. This includes the creation of a confidential HR advice service specifically for MSP staff.”