Last night, another senior Labour figure backed the suspended Aberdeen councillors – in advance of meeting them today.
Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie, a contender for the Scottish Labour deputy leadership, has said the party should reinstate the “Aberdeen Nine” and has insisted it will be a “priority” should she win the position.
The councillors were suspended by the then Labour leader Kezia Dugdale in the wake of the local elections in 2017 for forming a pact with the Tories in the townhouse.
Numerous party bodies have subsequently looked into their case, but nearly three years later, the issue remains unresolved and the nine members are still suspended.
She said: “I have worked with colleagues at Holyrood to seek an end to the disciplinary process against the Aberdeen Nine, which has gone on for far too long.
“I believe these councillors should have the full rights and status as members of the Labour Party.
“I believe that the best way to reunite the local party and to acknowledge the achievements of Labour councillors in Aberdeen over the last eight years is to end the suspension and restore them to full membership.
“That will be a priority for me if I am elected as deputy leader of Scottish Labour.”