A SCOTTISH Labour by-election candidate stands accused of “conflict of interest” as it emerged he worked for a company accused of falsifying housing repair records.

Davy Russell, one-time senior officer with Glasgow City Council, was adopted as the Labour candidate for the Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse by-election sparked by the death of longstanding SNP MSP Christina McElvie in March. 

Until he was selected as a candidate, Mr Russell worked as a consultant with controversial property maintenance company Mears Scotland, a fact not noted in any campaign literature or website.

This is despite his interests such as a trusteeship at disability charity Sense Scotland and his role as Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Lanarkshire being listed.

As reported in the Guardian newspaper, the company came under scrutiny in 2020, when it moved 300 people seeking asylum into hotels in Glasgow later found to have inadequate support, a situation brought to a head by a Sudanese man being shot dead by police after stabbing six people in one such hotel.

Closer to the South Lanarkshire by-election itself, councillors in neighbouring North Lanarkshire Council were forced last year to postpone signing off on a new £1.8 billion joint venture with the company to maintain its buildings and 36,700 houses while auditors investigated a whistleblowing report that Mears had falsified at least 13,000 maintenance records, prompting questions as to why his previous employment was not shared.

Scottish Labour insisted: “Davy Russell used his expertise in local government to support work being done at North Lanarkshire council.

“It’s this lifetime of experience in delivering public services he will use to deliver for the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.”

An SNP spokesperson said: “This will certainly raise eyebrows in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse... Scottish Labour must come clean.”

Glasgow chair of tenants’ union Living Rent Bianca Lopez said: “Mears Group has had controversy after controversy in Scotland with accusations of poor housing conditions and retraumatising people.

“MSPs need to represent all of their constituents, asylum-seekers included. 

“There is clearly a deep conflict here. Right now, asylum-seekers and refugees need as much protection as possible. Russell’s conflict of interest means he is completely unable to stand up for refugees and stand up to Reform.

“Multinational corporations have no place in our politics, especially ones which receive government contracts.”