Tory official suspended from party over jokes about Nicola Sturgeon suffering a miscarriage

A Scottish Conservative office bearer has been suspended from the party after joining in cruel mocking of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon suffering a miscarriage during a Twitter discussion.
Nicola Sturgeon spoke of the vile abuse she receives online.Nicola Sturgeon spoke of the vile abuse she receives online.
Nicola Sturgeon spoke of the vile abuse she receives online.

Jane Lax, who the Daily Record reported was the treasurer of the Conservative Association in Moray, replied approvingly to a tweet that suggested that Ms Sturgeon's revelation of having a miscarriage was 'fictional'.

A tweet from an anonymous account shared a story regarding the First Minister's comments about the misogynistic abuse that she receives on Twitter and other social media networks, commenting 'the GERS figures must be imminent', a reference to the economic report on Scotland's finances that was unveiled yesterday.

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Another anonymous account replied to that tweet, writing: "Has she mentions (sic) her fictional miscarriage yet?"

Ms Lax, who tweets as 'the SNP don't speak for me', then replied to both accounts writing: "Is that when she dropped a book."

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This was an apparent reference to the comments that Ms Sturgeon made to writer Mandy Rhodes in 2016, when she revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage in the run up to the Scottish Parliamentary elections in 2011.

It was revealed in the Sunday Times as part of an extract from a book on SNP leaders which Ms Rhodes contributed to.

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservative told The National: “These comments are unacceptable. Her membership will be suspended pending a disciplinary procedure.”

SNP sources told the Record that Ms Lax should be suspended, while senior party councillor Mhairi Hunter wrote on Twitter: "Blimey I didn't realise @janela_X was actually a Tory party office-bearer. Glad to see her suspended."

Ms Lax was at the centre of controversy in May when she was featured on a BBC Question Time recording in Elgin, with accusations she was a 'Tory plant'.