Glasgow council meeting ends in row as SNP councillor tells Labour to ‘address it with me outside’

A heated council meeting ended in a row as an SNP councillor accused of telling opposition members to “shut up” said Labour could “address it with me outside”.
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Cllr Frank McAveety, Labour, tried to raise a point of order about the “conduct” of Glasgow’s full council meeting as it came to an end.

He said he had “distinctly heard” Cllr Graham Campbell, SNP, “shout across the chamber and tell other members of this chamber to ‘shut up’”.

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“No action was taken,” he added. “Could you give us guidance and advice on how that matter can be addressed?”

In response, Cllr Campbell said: “You can address it with me outside.”

Addressing the Lord Provost, Cllr McAveety said: “Someone in the chamber today, making a remark that seems to me quite challenging.”

He added the “conduct was unacceptable”.

The Lord Provost, Jacqueline McLaren, had told Cllr McAveety that the meeting was finished and to “speak to the business managers about it”.

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After the meeting, the Labour group said Cllr Campbell had told female councillors to “shut up” and the Lord Provost had refused to hear a point of order.

Cllr McAveety, Labour’s business manager, said: “The failure to intervene by the Lord Provost to protect members who had been shouted at by Cllr Campbell was unacceptable.

“Glasgow Labour will be taking these matters further.”

Responding to Cllr McAveety on social media, Cllr Campbell said: “Frank, even for you, this is really scraping a very empty barrel.

“The meeting had already ended and I gave you the chance to discuss your concerns with me. Can’t think why you’d think a Black man trying to reason is somehow a threat — especially given your own behaviour in chambers.”

The SNP group said it would not be commenting at this time.

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The issue arose at the end of a heated debate on the plan to begin enforcement of Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone from June this year.

Labour and Conservative councillors had been calling for a one-year delay while the SNP and Greens decided to continue with the current date.

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