Much a-doing about nothing? SNP accused of bid to smear Davidson

A row erupted between the two parties after Dr Whiteford alleged Mr Davidson had told her she would be “getting a doing”.

But Mr Davidson denied intimidating the Banff and Buchan MP, saying he apologised “if anyone took offence” but insisting no threat had been made or intended.

Dr Whiteford claimed Mr Davidson’s remarks were made during a private session of the Scottish affairs select committee last week. She has said she will withdraw from committee activities until Mr Davidson, the chairman, resigns.

There is no written record of what was said, because the meeting was held in private. But it has been suggested that Mr Davidson said Dr Whiteford would be “getting a doing” if she leaked details of a private discussion to the media.

Dr Whiteford contends that Mr Davidson later approached her and “clarified to her” that his “earlier remarks about ‘getting a doing’ were not intended to be taken as a sexual threat”.

But Labour sources claimed that Mr Davidson had uttered the phrase after she had been criticised by fellow committee members for publicly criticising the two inquiries that the committee is carrying out into Scottish independence.

According to those sources, Mr Davidson’s words were said in the context that, as committee chairman, he was trying to divert attention from Dr Whiteford and said something like “you are getting a doing – now let’s move on”.

Mr Davidson made his denial at a public meeting of the committee at which four other members, representing the Tories, Lib Dems and Labour, expressed surprise at Dr Whiteford’s complaint and said they did not hear anything threatening.

Mike Freer, a Tory member of the committee, said: “There was a robust discussion about the inquiry, but I didn’t hear those comments that were supposed to have been made at all.”

Dr Whiteford, who went to the Commons Speaker John Bercow on Tuesday night with her Westminster leader, Angus Robertson, to make a complaint, stood by her claims last night.

The row intensified when Labour accused the SNP of a dirty tricks campaign. A Labour Party spokesman said: “Other members of the committee, from all three parties, are clear that at absolutely no point did Mr Davidson in any way threaten, or attempt to threaten, Dr Whiteford last week.

“Mr Davidson has made this point clearly and in public to the committee, and there should be no doubt whatsoever about this. To suggest otherwise is simply a deliberate attempt to smear the chair of the committee, which brings politics into disrepute.”

The spokesman added: “The SNP must now conduct an inquiry into Angus Robertson and the SNP’s Westminster press office over the very serious questions about their conduct, their behaviour and disgraceful way in which this dirty tricks campaign appears to be orchestrated at the highest levels of the SNP.”

Dr Whiteford claimed that Mr Davidson was “implicitly acknowledging” he had made inappropriate remarks but failed to recognise the threatening nature of his comments.

She said: “This was an empty apology from Ian Davidson, who clearly still does not recognise why his comments …were inherently threatening and unacceptable.”

She added: “I am not prepared to be threatened and intimidated, and until Mr Davidson takes responsibility for his behaviour I regret that I will not be returning to the committee.”