THE SNP’s Westminster leader has suggested Patrick Grady’s career in the SNP is over, and that he should now consider his position.

Ian Blackford, who last week urged “full support” for the Glasgow North MP despite him being a sex pest, said he should “reflect on his behaviour and where he goes from here”.

He also said Mr Grady’s future was “a question for his constituency party”, implying he may not be reselected as a candidate.

Mr Blackford made the thinly veiled hints in an interview with STV’s Bernard Ponsonby.

Mr Grady was last week judged to have made an “unwanted sexual advance” to a male party staffer 19 years his junior “while under the influence of alcohol” in a pub in 2016.

After a leaked recording of Mr Blackford, who had in 2017 promised a “zero tolerance” approach in his group to harassment, showed the Skye MP backing Mr Grady wholeheartedly, he was accused of being a hypocrite and putting the victim second.

Nicola Sturgeon today told MSPs the recording’s contents were “utterly unacceptable”.

In his first media interview since the scandal erupted and threatened his leadership, Mr Blackford made no similar attempt to support Mr Grady.

Asked why the SNP didn’t kick Mr Grady out, Mr Blackford said the SNP had taken the “proportionate” decision to suspend him for two days, mirroring Parliament’s suspension. 

But he then added: “It’s up to Patrick Grady to reflect on his behaviour and where he goes from here. But the SNP rightly took the decision on the basis of the suspension from Parliament that the SNP would suspend Patrick Grady.”

Asked if Mr Grady “should consider his position as a member of Parliament”, Mr Blackford said: “That is a question for Mr Grady. It’s a question for his constituency party.”

Asked if he thought Mr Grady should be considering his position, Mr Blackford said: “Anyone who has gone through a process such as this has got to carefully reflect on what has happened to them.”

Asked why Mr Grady’s career was “fine” after touching the staffer when two SNP ministers - Mark McDonald and Derek Mackay - lost their jobs for sending text messages, Mr Blackford said: “No, I’m not suggesting any such thing. I think it is important that in our public life that people are held to high standards.”

The comments are in stark contrast to those of SNP Constitution Secretary  Angus Robertson, who suggested on Sunday that Mr Grady’s action was not “career-ending”.

Insteads, he said: “There has to be a way back for people while at the same time supporting people who've been treated inappropriately.”