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A senior Labour councillor was suspended by the party today amid allegations he made racist comments to Anas Sarwar.

Davie McLachlan - the Labour group leader on South Lanarkshire Council - will now face an investigation into claims he said Scotland isn’t ready for a “brown, Muslim Paki”.

The offensive comments, revealed in Monday’s Record, were allegedly made to Glasgow MSP Sarwar as he ran against Leonard in last year’s leadership campaign.

Sarwar told the Record the racial slur was made as he canvassed support.

He said: “A leader of a Labour council group told me very clearly the reason that he couldn’t support me in the leadership election was that, in his words, Scotland wasn’t ready for a ‘brown, Muslim Paki’.

(Image: Daily Record)

“When I challenged him on that, saying it was a racist, Islamophobic comment, he said that wasn’t his opinion, it was his fear about what his constituents believe.”

Sarwar, the son of the UK’s first Muslim MP, Mohammad Sarwar, declined to publicly name the councillor.

But he did divulge McLachlan’s identity in a meeting with Scottish Labour’s general secretary Brian Roy this afternoon. McLachlan was suspended shortly afterwards

Sarwar told the Record: “I met with the party and disclosed the identity of the councillor involved. I have also provided in writing the full details of what was said to me.

“It is now for the Scottish Labour Party to take the next step as regards to an investigation.

(Image: East Kilbride News)

“My focus will remain on tackling the wider issues of everyday racism and everyday Islamophobia.

“I stress that this is bigger than any one individual or one organisation.

“This is about challenging the institutional prejudices that impact on workplaces, campuses and classrooms across the county.”

Sarwar lost to Leonard in the ballot triggered by Kezia Dudgale’s resignation last year. He did not blame race for his defeat but said he wants to shine a light on Islamophobia in society.

Last night / tonight he hosted the first meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s new cross party group on tacking Islamophobia.

A packed crowd listened to expert speakers on anti-Muslim prejudice.

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

McLachlan went into hiding after the Record hit the news shelves on Monday.

He failed to returned numerous telephone calls or reply to emails and there has been no answer at his home in Hamilton.

In May 2013, when McLachlan was South Lanarkshire Council’s spokesman for youth, he judged an equalities competition among secondary schools in the area.

The children were asked to give a short presentation on PowerPoint outlining how they would take forward a campaign to promote diversity.

McLachlan said at the time: “I was very impressed with the content of all presentations and the manner in which they were delivered.

“It gives me great pride to know that our young people takes these issues very seriously and this reassures me that we are working towards a more tolerant society.

“The judging panel had a very difficult job to pick a winner but they were all winners in my view.”