Well, well, well. Just when the Scottish government thought it had steadied the SNP ship after two rather tumultuous years, another scandal has hit the party. Health Secretary Neil Gray is in the spotlight after it transpired that he had been using taxpayer-funded ministerial cars to take him to sports matches in the latest ‘Limogate’ development. Gray had initially claimed he attended matches in a work capacity and had minutes for every meeting – but this evening the SNP minister has now admitted to inadvertently misleading MSPs over the matter.
Between 2022 and 2024, Gray attended nine football matches involving Aberdeen or Scotland using taxpayer-funded, chauffeur-driven cars. His attendance at the 2023 Scottish League Cup Final between Aberdeen and Rangers raised eyebrows, however, after Freedom of Information requests revealed that there was ‘no note’ of minutes or even a meeting summary produced from the excursion. This is despite the Health Secretary claiming in the Holyrood chamber that notes had been taken. Dear oh dear…
This afternoon, Gray addressed parliament to apologise for his earlier comments. ‘I recognise that I assured that there would be summaries available for all the engagement,’ he told MSPs. ‘It has since come to light that this is incorrect and I am sorry for that inadvertent error.’
Not that his political opponents have been left satisfied with Gray’s admission. Scottish Labour slammed the SNP minister for only apologising due to pressure from the press while the Tories mocked his ‘humiliating’ row-back. It’s not the first sorry Gray has had to issue on the matter, admitting in November that he regretted giving the impression of ‘acting more as a fan and less as a minister’ over his chauffeur-driven trips to Aberdeen games. And it’s not the first nationalist Health Secretary under fire over his expenses claims either. Will the SNP drama ever end? Don’t hold your breath…
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