The ex-council leader, a fake name and a failed hit on a former party rebel
Plus: Suspects snared in shoplifting crackdown; and city actor to be subject of all-star biopic
Former council leader used fake name to make complaint about ex-colleague
A former leader of the city council has apologised after using a fake name to make an official complaint against a rebellious ex-party colleague.
Labour’s Cammy Day - who was council leader until he was forced to step down as leader last December - made a complaint against fellow councillor Ross McKenzie to the watchdog which oversees standards in public life.
However, his complaint to the Ethical Standards Commissioner was made under the false name of Charlie McGregor, The Sunday Mail revealed.
The complaint could have led to significant sanctions against McKenzie, including being removed from office, but it was ultimately found to be without basis and dismissed by the commissioner. Day, who continues to serve as a city councillor for the Forth ward, is now facing calls for his conduct to be investigated by the Labour Party.
Comeback comes unstuck: Day had been attempting a return to frontline politics following his resignation after becoming the subject of a police investigation last year. The police concluded no laws had been broken after looking into explicit messages he sent to Ukrainian refugees he met during the course of his council work. The latest revelations are likely to stop his comeback in its tracks, but also raise questions about the judgement of council leader Jane Meagher who supported his return.
Thorn in his side: Ross McKenzie, the councillor who was the target of Day’s complaint, had been a constant thorn in his side when he was council leader. Their differences sometimes appeared to be acrimonious. A serial rebel against the Labour whip, McKenzie later quit the party to become an independent councillor before joining the Scottish Greens earlier this month.
Poisonous politics: After becoming council leader in 2022, Day told The Inquirer that the political culture on the local authority had become toxic and that his aim was to restore standards of decency.
Another embarrassment: The revelations about Day are the latest embarrassment for the local authority caused by the behaviour of some city councillors. The police probe into Day’s explicit social media messages led to a wider independent investigation, which criticised the “out of control” drinking culture among some councillors. It also criticised another former council leader, the SNP’s Adam McVey, for failing to take appropriate action over allegations of the grooming of a 15-year-old boy.
Day says: Day declined to add to the statement he made to The Sunday Mail who he told: “I acknowledge that my approach on this issue was wrong, and I apologise unreservedly.“
Investigation call: Scottish Conservative MSP Sue Webber MSP said: “Cammy Day has serious questions to answer about his behaviour. Anas Sarwar must urgently investigate this matter and provide the public with answers about what one of his senior councillors was up to.”
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
FLAMING CHARIOTS: Fleabag star Andrew Scott is to portray Ian Charleson in a new film about the life of the celebrated Edinburgh actor. While Charleson is best known for portraying Olympic champion Eric Liddle in Chariots of Fire, Elsinore will focus on his preparations for his acclaimed National Theatre performance as Hamlet in the 1980s while seriously ill with AIDS. Scott will be joined by former Fleabag cast mate Olivia Colman in the Canal+ production, described as a “deeply moving and inspiring true story”.
DURRELL COLLECTION: More than 550 specimens of rare species collected by the famous naturalist Gerald Durrell have been donated to National Museums Scotland for scientific research. The collection includes a specimen of the critically endangered mountain chicken frog, of which only 23 are believed to survive in the wild in Dominica. The specimens will be scientific research.
FESTIVE FLYING: Almost 250,000 people will pass through Edinburgh Airport in the week leading up to Christmas Eve as they head off to spend time with family and friends. For those heading overseas, the airport says, Tenerife, Geneva and Paris are amongst the most popular destinations.
DOCTORS’ STRIKE: Resident doctors have voted to strike in January. The Scottish Government have offered talks with the British Medical Association (BMA) calling on them to make a “credible” pay offer. The strikes are scheduled to run from 13 to 17 January unless a breakthrough is made in the meantime.
SERIAL SEX ATTACKER: A man has been charged in connection with six sexual assaults in a single evening in and around Stockbridge. A 22-year-old man is due to appear in court today in connection with the incidents on 12 December.
HOUSING MARKET HOPES: The city’s leading property portal, ESPC, is forecasting a stronger 2026 for the property market across the region. Falling interest rates and improved affordability are set to drive sales throughout the year, it predicts, including a strong start to the year fuelled by pent-up demand.
BUT CRISIS DEEPENS: The number of social housing homes built in Scotland (3,031) dropped to its lowest level over the last year since current records began in 1997. The number of social and affordable homes built under the Scottish Government’s flagship Affordable Housing Supply Programme (6,582) also slumped to less than half the 15,000 which the country’s housing associations say are required. First Minister John Swinney said he was encouraged by higher rates of building later in the year.
KILT CLOSURE: Kilt hire business Bowdens is set to close after more than a century, with the owner blaming the rising costs of doing business and falling demand. The shop, in Easter Road, first opened in 2016. The shop remains open short-term to sell off existing stock.
Pic of the week
THE BUSINESS
Partnership aiming to tackle violence and theft in city centre stores
A growing and successful partnership involving police, council and city centre businesses is helping tackle surging levels of retail crime in Edinburgh - and today eyes and ears will be on high alert as they come together for a second “Day of Action” this month.
Earlier in December, a similar day brought great success in the city centre, with 6 people arrested on a combined total of 46 shoplifting charges and seven offences against retail workers.
A significant number of further arrests are anticipated today, as an increased police presence will see the partnership approach continue to harness technology and high-levels of real-time information sharing to identify, track, deter, and where appropriate arrest, those involved in retail crime.
How big is the problem?
Theft and violence towards shop staff is at record levels throughout the UK, with more than 2000 incidents being reported per day, according to the 2025 British Retail Consortium survey.
The same survey showed violence against shopworkers up by 50% over the year, with a staggering increase of 340% over five years.
As one of Scotland’s two biggest retail destinations, it is no surprise that the Capital is one of the country’s retail crime hot-spots – but the innovative deterrence and detection work that goes on quietly every day is certainly helping to combat a problem that might otherwise be even worse.
What has driven the rise?
As ever, it is most likely to be a combination of several factors. Organised crime gangs have grown, targeting high-value goods. In addition, there is no denying that a cost-of-living crisis also drives more casual or opportunistic offending.
What does Edinburgh’s response involve?
Police Scotland established their Retail Crime Taskforce earlier this year in response to the rising tide of crime, including shoplifting, assaults, threats against staff and anti-social behaviour in stores.
In Edinburgh, key partners also include the city council and retail businesses, largely through the city centre Business Improvement District company Essential Edinburgh. The BID co-ordinates and helps fund two vital initiatives. Radio provider Apex Radios is also a partner.
Shopwatch was launched earlier this year, and the BID funds radios to share real-time information amongst 56 stores on Princes Street, St James, and the surrounding area. This is also linked to police and the city council’s CCTV control centre, and so known criminals can be quickly identified, tracked and arrested – or alternatively refused entry to stores by security staff.
At its launch, Superintendent Paul Gillespie, who leads on Acquisitive Crime for Edinburgh, said: “Shopwatch underlines our commitment to collaboration and finding new approaches that better equip businesses to prevent crime happening, while also enhancing our ability to respond when an incident does arise.”
Check Out has been running for longer – more than a decade – and sees a shared email interface similarly provide speedy information and images to retailers and the police.
What next?
Earlier this year, the Retail Crime Taskforce was formed supported by £3 million in Scottish Government funding as Scottish Retail Consortium figures showed 4000 shopworkers were attacked in 2024, with an average of 170 incidents of abuse or violence every day.
Stretched public finances make policing more difficult, and that is where the businesses themselves come in, particularly via BIDs. Grant Stewart, who manages the projects for Essential Edinburgh, said: “It is one of the main issues facing our businesses, and that’s why it is important we can bring people together, harnessing technology and collaboration to provide a more effective deterrence. We need criminals to know that the city centre is not going to be an easy environment for them.”
HOTEL FIRST: Buzzworks, the hospitality group which already owns several restaurants in the Edinburgh area, has extended its footprint in East Lothian. The group has made its first move into the hotel business, with the purchase and planned seven figure refurbishment of the Nether Abbey Hotel in North Berwick.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
KOOL BY THE SEA: Kool and the Gang, Belle and Sebastian, and Louis Theroux are among the first acts announced for next summer’s Fringe by the Sea festival at North Berwick.
UPSIDE DOWN ART: Art lovers can relive Scott McTominay’s spectacular overhead kick at the National Portrait Gallery. A photograph of his acrobatic goal, which helped Scotland qualify for their first World Cup finals since 1998, is on display in the gallery’s Great Hall until 5 January. Entry is free.
HOGMANAY TICKETS: International ticket sales for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay are up by around 10% despite last year’s cancellation due to bad weather. Tickets are still available including for the Street Party and Concert in the Gardens headlined by indie stars Wet Leg and Edinburgh’s own Hamish Hawk.
QUICK BITES
GROWING APPETITE: Edinburgh diner chain Hollywood Burgers & Shakes has launched its third Scottish outlet in Bathgate’s Mid Street, creating six new jobs in the process, as part of its growth plans.
MAD ABOUT US: Mad Men star Christina Hendricks, who has been filming in and around Edinburgh for Apple TV’s The Buccaneers, has shared two of her favourite Capital eating places – Timberyard and The Palmerston. The star also confesses the city has “stolen” her heart.