The former Labour leader of Edinburgh City Council has issued an ‘unreserved apology’ after the Sunday Mail uncovered evidence of the bizarre ploy.
The former leader of Edinburgh City Council used a fake name to lodge an official complaint about a colleague, the Sunday Mail can reveal.
Labour’s Cammy Day has issued an “unreserved apology” after the Sunday Mail uncovered evidence of the bizarre attack on fellow councillor Ross McKenzie in September.
Opposition politicians have demanded Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar launch an urgent investigation.
Day’s complaint to the Ethical Standards Commissioner – which could have resulted in McKenzie losing his job – was made under the name “Charlie McGregor” and was ultimately judged to be without substance.
When we confronted Day he said: “I acknowledge that my approach on this issue was wrong, and I apologise unreservedly.“
A further complaint from Day about another Edinburgh councillor was also thrown out by the Commissioner in March.
The incident involving McKenzie was reported to Labour’s Governance and Legal Unit (GLU), but it is understood no action has ever been taken to discipline him.
A source said: “It is quite unbelievable that a former council leader and sitting Labour councillor would be making complaints about a council colleague in a false name.
“The complaint was ultimately found to have no merit and there is no suggestion that Ross did anything wrong.
“This is indicative of a completely toxic culture in the Edinburgh Labour group.
“People seem to think that this is acceptable way to behave. These sorts of complaints can wreck lives and careers, it is not a joke.
“On what planet would anyone thing it was ok to put in a complaint in a fake name. It is unclear whether Cammy was even present at the event he is claiming an incident happened at.”
McKenzie was a fellow Labour councillor of Day until 2023 when he left the party to sit as an independent before defecting to the Greens earlier this month.
The office of the Ethical Standards Commissioner said it “received this complaint on September 24 under the name Charlie McGregor”
It added: “During the investigation our office established that the complainer’s identity as Councillor Cammy Day. From the information available the Commissioner takes the view that the respondent did not breach the Code of Conduct for Councillors.”
Day re-joined Labour in August after being suspended in the wake of a police investigation into claims of inappropriate behaviour.
He was forced to quit his role leading the capital’s council in December 2024 when allegations emerged that he had bombarded Ukrainian refugees with sexual messages.
Police then examined a complaint made to the council’s whistleblowing service before concluding no criminality had taken place.
However a report into the council’s handling of the complaints against him found issues with safe-guarding measures, an “excessive hospitality culture”, and a “perceived power imbalance”.
Kevin Dunion, who had been brought in to lead the investigation, said: “The question has been posed in my remit as to whether the safeguards in the council are sufficient to prevent behaviour such as that alleged in relation to Councillor Day occurring.
“In short, the answer is no.”
The investigation also found “inadequacies” in the handling of a complaint made in 2018 about Day.
Scottish Conservative MSP Sue Webber MSP said: “Cammy Day has serious questions to answer about his behaviour.
“Those in Edinburgh will think something is awry when he is spending time making complaints about another councillor under a false name rather than getting on with his job.
“Anas Sarwar must urgently investigate this matter and provide the public with answers about what one of his senior councillors was up to.”
Earlier this month a Labour MSP suspended over sexual harassment claims told how the allegations had made his life a “living hell”.
Foysol Choudhury, 56, has said he still hasn’t been told what he is accused of, or who has made the accusation.
There has been no complaint to police or to parliamentary authorities and several of the MSP’s staff and colleagues have told the Sunday Mail they are mystified by the report to GLU which has resulted in him being deselected as Labour’s Edinburgh North candidate for the May election.
