SCOTLAND'S Justice Secretary has urged Sir Keir Starmer to take "decisive action" against a Labour councillor suspended after making Islamophobic comments.
Humza Yousaf said he has "given up" speaking to Scottish Labour about how the party will deal with Jim Dempster.
He was suspended from Labour in March 2018 after he said of Yousaf that "no-one would have seen him under his burka".
With proceedings against the councillor not yet concluded more than two years on, Yousaf said: "Richard Leonard has no credibility on this issue any more."
READ MORE: Richard Leonard accused of dithering over ‘Islamophobic’ councillor
Leonard himself said the case "ought to have been dealt with more speedily".
Now Yousaf has called on the new Labour leader to "take decisive action" against Dempster as he accused the party in Scotland of failing to take the matter seriously.
Yousaf, speaking on BC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland, said: "In terms of Richard Leonard, if he thinks he has done enough and can now pass over responsibility, duck responsibility, then they should at the very least release all the correspondence he has sent to the UK Labour Party on this issue demanding action so that we can actually judge the fact that he has made an effort.
"But I have to say I have given up even speaking to Richard Leonard on this matter, or indeed raising it with he Scottish Labour Party, because it is clear to me that they don't take these matters at all seriously."
He spoke after Leonard told the same programme he is "frustrated" about the time taken to deal with Dempster.
The Scottish Labour leader said: "I am always happy to speak to Humza Yousaf about where we are with this case, I am frustrated as well it has taken as it has.
"It is not clear to me why it has taken as long as it has."
Speaking about Dempster, he said: "He has been suspended and does not play an active part in the Labour Party or the Labour group where he is an elected councillor.
"It needs to be resolved, in my view, timeously. For the life of me I don't know why it has taken as long as it has, it ought to have been dealt with more speedily.
"But consideration of that case rests in the hands of the party at a UK level."
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