Glasgow councillor Catherine Vallis has resigned as parliamentary aide to Scottish Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy after the MSP refused to end her decades-long friendship with Sean Morton, a twice-convicted paedophile. Sources close to the office say Vallis could no longer work for Duncan-Glancy while the MSP continued contact with the serial offender.
The breaking point came just weeks after Morton was jailed again for possessing indecent images of children.
Who is Catherine Vallis and Why She Walked Away
Catherine Vallis, a popular Labour councillor for Victoria Park ward in Glasgow, had worked as Duncan-Glancy’s senior parliamentary assistant since the MSP was elected in 2021. Insiders describe Vallis as the engine room of the office, handling constituency casework, policy briefs and media.
One Labour source told this website: “Catherine was absolutely furious. She made it clear she could not stay in a job where the boss was still friends with a man who has destroyed children’s lives not once, but twice.”
Vallis is understood to have handed in her resignation last week. She has declined to comment publicly but friends say she feels “betrayed” by Duncan-Glancy’s stance.
The Friendship That Refuses to Die
Pam Duncan-Glancy and Sean Morton go back more than 30 years. They met as teenage Labour activists in Moray and remained close even after Morton’s first conviction in 2017.
That year, Morton admitted downloading hundreds of indecent images of children and extreme pornography involving bestiality. He was spared jail but placed on the sex offenders register.
Despite the guilty plea, Duncan-Glancy continued the friendship. She visited him at home, exchanged messages and even defended him publicly, saying she believed people “deserve second chances.”
In December, after this website revealed the ongoing contact, Duncan-Glancy quit as Scottish Labour’s education spokesperson and announced she would not stand again in 2026.
Morton Strikes Again
Most people thought the story would end there. It did not.
In early 2025, police raided Morton’s home again. Officers found new child abuse images on his devices, some in the most serious Category A.
Last month, Morton appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court where he admitted three charges of possessing indecent images of children between 2020 and 2025. Sheriff David Sutherland jailed him for 18 months and placed him on the sex offenders register for ten years.
Court papers revealed Morton had been downloading the material while still in regular contact with Duncan-Glancy.
Inside the Labour Fallout
Scottish Labour insiders say the latest jailing has caused fresh anger inside the party.
“Catherine’s resignation is just the tip of the iceberg,” one MSP told us. “A lot of members feel the party has not gone far enough. Pam should have been suspended the moment we found out she was still speaking to him after the second offence.”
Another councillor in Glasgow said staff in Duncan-Glancy’s office had been left “traumatised” by the whole episode.
“People work in politics to make life better for kids and vulnerable people,” they said. “How do you do that when your own boss refuses to cut ties with a paedophile?”
What Happens Next
Duncan-Glancy continues to serve as MSP for Glasgow region until the 2026 election. She has gone very quiet on social media since the latest court case.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has repeatedly refused to say whether he believes Duncan-Glancy should have been expelled from the party.
Catherine Vallis remains a Glasgow councillor and is expected to stand again in 2027. Friends say she has been overwhelmed with messages of support from across the party.
Many in Labour now believe the Morton scandal has caused lasting damage to the party’s reputation on child protection issues, just months before a general election.
The resignation of one of its hardest-working councillors sends the clearest signal yet: for some in Scottish Labour, friendship with a prolific child sex offender crosses a line that can never be uncrossed.
What do you think? Should Pam Duncan-Glancy have been expelled from the party? Drop your thoughts below.
