Labour ex-justice spokesman stands down from Scottish Parliament

Richard Baker MSP, who was for some time the Labour Party’s justice spokesman in the Scottish Parliament, has today stood down from the parliament. His contributions to debate on the Lockerbie case were far from distinguished. Here is what I wrote about him in a blogpost on 15 May 2011 when he was calling for Abdelbaset Megrahi’s medical records to be published:

“Every time Richard Baker MSP opens his mouth about Lockerbie and, it has to be said, many other justice-related subjects, one's views on the abysmal calibre of most Scottish Labour MSPs are resoundingly confirmed. Prisoners (and ex-prisoners) share the same rights in respect of medical confidentiality as any other inhabitant of Scotland. For Kenny MacAskill to release the medical reports relating to Abdelbaset Megrahi would, quite simply, be illegal. If Mr Baker does not know this, he should not be Labour's Justice spokesman in the Scottish Parliament. When reports on an accused (or convicted) person's medical condition are referred to in court, these reports are not released to the general public, but are for the use solely of those professionally engaged in the proceedings.”