He was a deputy head teach at Elgin High School where he taught for 30 years – so many of his former pupils in Moray will perhaps not be surprised that Jeff Dugdale was making national headlines for laying down the law!
But a few eyebrows were raised all the same in political circles this week when Mr Dugdale provided his latest rebuke – as the recipient was none other than his daughter and deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party!
Kezia Dugdale received the very public rebuke from dad after she tweeted her thoughts over a controversial claim that Nicola Sturgeon had shown a preference for a Tory government after the May election, tweeting to her followers: “Everyone knew the Tories wanted the SNP to win, but now we know the SNP want the Tories to win.”
A national newspaper had claimed that the SNP First Minister had told French diplomats she would prefer David Cameron to return as Prime Minister after May’s election – a statement that was later firmly dismissed not only by Ms Sturgeon but the French diplomats themselves.
SNP-supporting Mr Dugdale, 67 and a retired English teacher at the Moray school, provided some light relief and at the same time delighted fellow SNP supporters around the country by sending a rapid public rebuke to his daughter, tweeting: “Check facts before opening mouth, Kazia.”
Mr Dugdale also attacked Scottish Labour by tweeting: “Shame on you for pouncing on a fairy story about Nicola. ‘You boys are due one hell of a beating’.”
Jeff Dugdale ended a 30-year teaching career at Elgin High School as Deputy Head in 2008.
He was a legend at the Moray school where he was one of the founding members of the teaching staff when he arrived in Moray to take up a post at the school in 1978. Throughout his career at Elgin he oversaw the school newspaper ‘Pigeon Post’.