‘Unequivocal’ apology to campaigner misquoted on Labour leaflet

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has “unequivocally” apologised to a maternity campaigner who claims she was misquoted on a Labour campaign leaflet.

A Scottish Labour campaign leaflet featured a maternity campaigner Claire Fleming who told Clyde 1 on Thursday that she did not say the quoted words or consent to be on the leaflet.

Ms Fleming is quoted on the leaflet saying: “Local NHS services have deteriorated under SNP. Waiting lists are too high but these aren’t just numbers on a bit of paper, these are people’s lives. Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour will fix our NHS.”

Speaking to Clyde 1, she said: “At first I was confused, because you expect political leaflets to be honest – then I got angry

“If they’ve written that out of nowhere, what else have they lied about?”

Ms Fleming continued: “The next time I sit round a table with different parties, will they think I’m a Labour supporter? Will they think I’m attacking the SNP?

“It adds a whole new layer to something I’ve worked really hard to keep neutral.”

She called for Sarwar to “take responsibility for what you’ve done and apologise publicly”.

Speaking to the media at Holyrood on Thursday, Sarwar apologised to Ms Fleming and said “it shouldn’t have happened”.

He said: “Look, unequivocal, in terms of an apology. It shouldn’t have happened. A mistake made by a member of the team for which, of course, I take responsibility and unequivocally apologise to her (for), and I’ll be doing that in writing as well.”

Speaking in the chamber, First Minister John Swinney referred to the leaflet in response to Mr Sarwar’s criticism over the recent Scottish budget.

He said: “I do not think today is the day for Mr Sarwar to be in a strong position to accuse me of talking rubbish because this morning, a campaigner, a health campaigner, has raised the fact publicly that she has requested from Mr Sarwar a formal apology after a campaign leaflet, which I have in front of me, was posted to thousands and thousands of homes around the country with a false quotation in support of his party in the leaflet.

“And the campaigner who was falsely quoted asked a fair question: if they have written that out of nowhere, what else have they lied about?”