Colin SmythScottish Labour MSP Colin Smyth has been arrested and charged following allegations of possessing indecent images of children.
Following the incident, he has since been suspended from the party, and he is now listed as “independent” on the Scottish Parliament’s website.
According to the police, officers executed a search warrant at a property on Marchfield Avenue in Dumfries on August 5, 2025, which led to arrest of 52-year-old Smyth in connection with the alleged offence.
He is expected to appear at Dumfries Sheriff Court at a later date.
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said it had received a standard prosecution report relating to the case.
Smyth, who has served as an MSP for South Scotland since 2016 and previously held several frontbench roles including Scottish Labour’s transport and constitutional affairs spokesperson, was suspended by the party after it became aware of the investigation
A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “The whip has been removed from Colin Smyth MSP, pending an investigation. We cannot comment further on this matter while the investigation is ongoing.”
Smyth speaks
Two days after his arrest, Smyth appeared in a social media video alongside Labour leader Anas Sarwar. The video has since been deleted.
In a brief public statement, Smyth said: “These events have come as a shock, and this is a deeply stressful time. I am obviously cooperating fully with any inquiries and hope the matter can be resolved quickly. I am not able to comment further at this stage, and in the meantime, I would ask that my family and friends be given privacy.”
A married father of two, Mr Smyth was raised on a council estate in Dumfries and later became a modern studies teacher before entering politics. He served as a councillor in Dumfries and Galloway before being elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2016.
Earlier this year, he was selected as the Labour candidate for Dumfriesshire ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. His arrest took place during the Parliament’s summer recess. MSPs are due to return on September 1, when the campaign for the May 2026 election is expected to begin in earnest.
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