Pam Duncan-Glancy resigned after the Record approached Scottish Labour about her links to disgraced former councillor Sean Morton. Concerns were raised about her judgement.
18:17, 05 Dec 2025
Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)
Labour’s education spokeswoman has quit over her friendship with a convicted sex offender. Pam Duncan-Glancy resigned after the Daily Record approached her and Scottish Labour about her links to disgraced former councillor Sean Morton.
Questions had been raised about her judgement over the continued friendship and she tendered her resignation to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar this afternoon. Morton, who was a Labour rising star on Moray council, confessed in 2017 to possessing indecent pictures of girls under 15 and of a couple having sex with a dog.
He pled guilty and was given a community payback order which included 140 hours of unpaid work. He also received a three-year supervision order and was placed on the sex offenders register for three years.
Morton was at that point a lifelong friend of Duncan-Glancy, who then became a Glasgow MSP and Labour’s education spokeswoman. She was in line to be in charge of the country’s schools if Labour had won the Holyrood election and she sits on the Parliament’s committee on education, children and young people.
A member of the public contacted the Record with concerns about their links and we can reveal the pair are still good friends. They had dinner and drinks to celebrate the MSP’s birthday and are believed to be in frequent contact, despite Morton’s child image conviction.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer brands Nigel Farage a ‘toxic disgrace’ over Glasgow pupils commentsREAD MORE: John Swinney slams Nigel Farage’s remarks on Glasgow schoolchildren as ‘racist’Ex Moray Councillor Sean Morton following his appearance at Elgin Sheriff Court on 14 November 2017.
A source told this newspaper: “It’s hard to see how any MSP can justify being friends with a convicted sex offender. This is a huge problem. It raises questions about the judgement of Anas Sarwar’s education spokesperson, particularly at a time when child protection and sexual crimes are dominating the political agenda.”
A source close to Duncan-Glancy said she has performed a caring role for Morton in an attempt to help him get his life back on track after the conviction.
In her letter of resignation, she wrote: “I am writing today to formally resign, with immediate effect, from my position as Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Member for Education and Skills.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve in this role and to support you and the party as it seeks to give Scotland the new direction it so desperately needs. “However, recent stories about relationships in my personal life have made clear a serious lapse in professional judgement. “I recognise that, as a direct consequence of this failure, it is no longer tenable for me to continue to serve in my current role. “I will do everything I can to support you and your leadership going forward.”
In response, Sarwar wrote: “You have acknowledged a serious error of judgement. However, you have acted and taken the appropriate decision, and I thank you for that.
“During your time as a Member of the Scottish Parliament, you have worked hard to represent your constituents, to hold the SNP Government to account and to help shape Scottish Labour’s positive alternative for May 2026. You can be proud of the contribution you have made in this role.”
Duncan-Glancy’s resignation is as education spokesperson, not as an MSP.
MSP Paul O’Kane has been appointed Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Equalities.MSP Claire Baker becomes Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Social Security.
In 2015, Morton made a speech at a Labour conference during which he spoke about his close bond with Duncan-Glancy.
He said: “She’s an inspiration to me and to many people in this party. I grew up with Pam. We went to school together in the village that I now represent as a councillor. We were at a school, this school. A couple of geeks sitting in the corner, we struck up a conversation, and 24 years later, it’s still going on.
“Every step we have made in life, we have made together. We left school together. We went to university together. We joined the Labour Party together. We are on our journey together.”
Sheriff Chris Dickson told Morton after his sentencing: “These are serious charges. By viewing indecent images you are creating a demand for the abuse and suffering of the children depicted.”
After his conviction, Morton released a statement with claims of how the indecent images had come into his possession.
“These were sent to me anonymously,” he said.
“I realised I hadn’t been as careful about who I spoke to online as I would be in my everyday life.
“I felt revulsion at what had happened and immediately felt I must accept my guilt.
“I wish with all my heart the sender never sent the images. I wish I had been less careless and much more guarded online.”
