Inquiry launched into Scottish Youth Parliament after former chairman jailed

The charity regulator has opened an inquiry into the Scottish Youth Parliament after its former chairman Jordan Linden was jailed for sexual offences against young men and boys.

Linden, who later became SNP leader of North Lanarkshire Council, carried out some of his crimes during his term as the parliament's chairman.

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator said it would look into regulatory and governance procedures at the charity.

The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) said it was "fully committed to supporting that review in any way we can".

Linden was jailed for 18 months last week after being found guilty of sexually assaulting five young men and directing unwanted sexual communications towards seven teenagers, the youngest aged 14.

The 30-year-old denied the offences and has now lodged an intention to appeal his conviction and sentence.

Linden's offences took place between 2011 and 2021, and some of his victims were members of the youth parliament at the time.

He joined the SYP in 2011 at the age of 15 and was chairman between 2015 and 2016.

Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) are aged between 14 and 25. They are elected every two years to represent Scottish Parliament constituencies and nine national voluntary organisations.

The organisation is led by young people while adults act as supporters, advisers and facilitators.

MSYPs consult young people in their constituency to find out about issues affecting them. Current campaigns include ending gender-based violence and calls for an increase in mental health education and training.

There is also a Welsh Youth Parliament, a Northern Ireland Youth Assembly and a UK Youth Parliament.

After leaving the SYP, Linden became an SNP councillor in 2017. He was appointed leader of North Lanarkshire Council in 2022, but resigned from the post a few weeks later and was arrested in 2024.

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator said it had opened an inquiry into the SYP following "an assessment of concerns received about the Scottish Youth Parliament".

"In line with our published policies, we are unable to provide further comment at this time," it said.

The Scottish Youth Parliament said it would fully comply with any investigation.

"We have received notification from OSCR that it has started a review into our regulatory and governance procedures and we are fully committed to supporting that review in any way we can," it said.

"Our safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures have been reviewed and strengthened on a regular basis, including in 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2024, with further updates planned this year.

"We remain committed to maintaining a safe environment for all young people and to continually improving our safeguarding practice."