THE disgraced SNP MP Patrick Grady is planning to stand again for re-election despite drunkenly touching a male teenage staffer.

Mr Grady, the MP for Glasgow North since 2015, has told colleagues he intends to fight the seat at the general election expected next year, according to the Scottish Sun.

The paper said the 43-year-old, a former advocacy manager at the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund,  believed he could win by tapping into a local religious vote.

Grady was suspended from the Commons for two days in 2022 after being found to have inappropriately touched a party worker on a night out.

The then SNP chief whip stroked the man’s neck, hair and back in an unwanted drunken sexual advance, before the other man made it clear it was unwelcome.

Commons watchdogs said the “unwanted physical touching, with sexual intent, from a senior MP to a junior member of staff” was a “significant breach” of the parliament's sexual misconduct policy.

READ MORE: Patrick Grady's victim calls on disgraced SNP MP to quit parliament

Grady was also suspended by the SNP for six months, before being readmitted.

Under boundary changes being brought in for the next general election, Glasgow will lose one of its six constituencies, Glasgow Central, where Alison Thewliss is the MP.

However Grady’s Glasgow North seat will expand eastwards, taking in the working class areas of Possilpark and Milton.

The SNP is currently gearing up to select its general election candidates, and Grady has let it be known he intends to seek the candidacy again, subject to party vetting.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn is reportedly aware of Grady’s plans.

Grady, a member of Westminster’s cross-party Holy See group, which sends delegations to the Vatican, reportedly aims to capitalise on his church links to win if selected.

📝 Sign up for Unspun – Scotland's top politics newsletter. Enjoy exclusive opinion and analysis from some of Scotland's best political writers and commentators sent directly to your inbox every weekday evening. Click here to sign up 👈

A source told the paper: “He’s been saying that he can still win the seat back despite everything and that he will try to tap into the Catholic vote in north Glasgow.”

The young man targeted by Grady said he should not be allowed to stand again.

“Patrick Grady hasn’t stood down as an MP because the SNP have emboldened him to feel like he is untouchable, by allowing him back into the party,” he told the Scottish Sun.

“The only MP to give me any kind of genuine support throughout the ordeal was Dr Lisa Cameron MP, who has since faced continued hardship from her SNP colleagues as a result.”

The SNP is already facing controversy over sexual misconduct by the former leader of North Lanarkshire Council, Jordan Linden, who quit the £45,000 post last year.

Seven councillors who voiced concerns about the handling of a complaint against Linden were punished for "bringing the party into disrepute". 

Two were last week expelled and five suspended for six months, leading to their resignations. 

READ MORE: Outrage as SNP welcomes Patrick Grady back into party

Labour MSP Martin Whitfield said “For too long the SNP has closed ranks and let sleaze run riot in their party.

“It will be a scandal if the SNP turns a blind eye to Patrick Grady’s history of sexual harassment and allow him to stand as a candidate.

“The SNP must stand up for victims of sexual harassment for once and drop Grady – and if they don’t the public will get a chance to boot him out.”

Grady’s majority over Labour at the 2019 election was 5,601.

He is not assured the SNP candidacy again - and could be challenged by Ms Thewliss, who is looking for a new billet after the loss of her constituency in the boundary changes.

The SNP has been asked for comment.