An awful betrayal of the victims of grooming gangs

T WAS shameful - yet depressingly predictable - that the SNP and Greens voted on party lines in yesterday's no confidence vote on the Justice Secretary.

- Rachael Hamilton

As a result, the motion brought by Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay failed to pass and Angela Constance remains in her job - albeit cutting a hobbled and discredited figure. I can't begin to express my dismay and disgust at that result.

Not for party political reasons - the Nats and Greens may have voted on that basis, but no one else in the debate was motivated by political advantage.

But because it was a despicable betrayal of the victims of grooming gangs.

Russell and I, and several other contributors to the debate, made a point of repeating the views of the survivors and their supporters. People like the mother of "Taylor", who was subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of gangs, who straightforwardly said that Angela Constance must go.

She said that "trust is completely broken". And she told MSPs that they could not say they stood with victims "while defending a minister who lied to parliament, the public and more importantly, the survivors". That could hardly be more plainly stated. It should make every member of the Scottish Parliament who voted against yesterday's motion deeply ashamed.

E VERYONE, except members of the SNP and Green parliamentary groups, will see this result as disgraceful.