Tories suspend ex-candidate over 'sexual assault' claim

Stuart Cullen appeared on a Scottish Conservative election leaflet ahead of the vote in June

The Scottish Conservatives have suspended a former election candidate after he was accused of sexual assault.

Stuart Cullen, who stood for the party in Glasgow North in June's election, is alleged to have assaulted a woman while at Oxford University.

The Scottish Tories said Mr Cullen had been "suspended with immediate effect, subject to further inquiry".

Lawyers for Mr Cullen said he denied the allegation and he expected to be cleared of any wrongdoing

The claim was made by the alleged victim in a post on social network Instagram.

The woman who made the allegation wrote that she had been a "naive" 18-year-old at the time and had never reported it.

She has subsequently asked not to be named.

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: "We take allegations like these extremely seriously. Mr Cullen has been suspended with immediate effect, subject to further inquiry.

"We would encourage anyone to report such allegations to the police."