All has not been well in the Scottish government for some time – and the latest revelation that former first minister Humza Yousaf was slamming civil servant press officers in WhatsApp chats is hardly likely to repair relations. It transpires that hapless Humza and one-time national clinical director Jason Leitch turned on their own officials in Covid message exchanges, uncovered by the Scottish Sun via Freedom of Information request. Oh dear.
In a rather ironic twist, it has emerged that Yousaf complained he was ‘not hugely impressed’ by the efforts of the comms officials working in the health department, before promising to, er, ‘sort it out’. Perhaps he should’ve taken a harder look at his own governing style, eh? Mr S would remind readers that this was the SNP leader pushed out after just over a year in the top job following a rather extraordinary gaffe where he brutally ditched his coalition partners and left the Nats stuck in a minority government. Steerpike wonders just who in Yousaf’s partly was left ‘hugely impressed’ by this move.
One exchange saw the dynamic duo mocking civil servant advice on podcasts. Leitch blasted government officials for suggesting the men avoid podcasting, with the ex-national clinical director messaging Yousaf:
I suggested we should move with the times and embrace the internet… They drive me crazy. “Let’s not do the Today programme because it has few Scottish listeners.” It just so happens to set the news agenda for the whole day.
Or maybe the Scottish civil service were just trying to save the gaffe-prone pair from themselves, eh?
It’s not the first time the dental surgeon’s exchanges with the former FM have come under scrutiny. It was revealed during the UK Covid Inquiry that the ex-clinical director had given the then-health secretary advice on how to dodge the country’s Covid rules, with a WhatsApp screenshot showing a confused Yousaf desperately messaging Leitch about the latest pandemic guidance.
HY: I know sitting at the table I don’t need my mask. If I’m standing talking to folk, need my mask on?
JL: Officially yes. But literally no one does. Have a drink in your hands at ALL times. Then you’re exempt. So if someone comes over and you stand, life your drink.
Talk about role models, eh? Scottish Labour’s Martin Whitfield blasted the two for ‘childish finger pointing’, while Scottish Tory Dr Sandesh Gulhane scorned them for ‘obsessing about their own media profiles’. Meanwhile one ex-SNP MP told Mr S: ‘Yousaf failed upwards. He should never have been health secretary or First Minister.’ Ouch.
Leitch was forced to announce his resignation from the clinical director role in March after a rather unedifying session at the Inquiry where he was grilled on just why he had decided to delete his Covid WhatsApps at the end of each day. Meanwhile Yousaf’s short-lived premiership left the Nats red-faced when they had to install yet another unelected leader after slamming the Tory party for the same thing. Mr S can imagine, given the pair’s antics, there will be quite a few raised eyebrows at the latest unearthed exchange…
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