Former Labour education spokeswoman refused to drop her lifelong pal

A LABOUR MSP will quit Holyrood after a damaging row over her continued friendship with a convicted sex offender.

- BY PAUL HUTCHEON

Pam Duncan-Glancy will not contest the election in May after party leader Anas Sarwar effectively issued her with an ultimatum to cut her ties with disgraced Sean Morton.

Morton, a former Labour councillor, confessed in 2017 to possessing indecent pictures of girls under 15 and beastiality.

He pleaded guilty and was given a community payback order which included 140 hours of unpaid work.

Schoolfriends Morton and Duncan-Glancy were still close at the time of his conviction and we revealed in December they had dinner to celebrate the MSP’s recent birthday.

Duncan-Glancy admitted a “serious lapse in professional judgment” and resigned as Sarwar's education spokeswoman weeks ago.

But she did not say she had severed ties with Morton and sources questioned if she could stay Labour candidate for Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill.