Voters will judge SNP for ‘shameful’ defence of Matheson, Ross tells Swinney

John Swinney has been warned voters will judge the SNP for its “shameful defence” of former health secretary Michael Matheson.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said candidates standing for the SNP at the General Election had been left in a “dreadful position” on the second day of campaigning.

The SNP leader and First Minister said he will not support a 27-day Holyrood ban for Mr Matheson, who incurred a near-£11,000 data roaming bill on his parliamentary iPad while on a family holiday to Morocco.

Mr Matheson initially stated his devices had only been used for parliamentary purposes, before later confessing his teenage sons had used it as a Wi-Fi hotspot to stream football.

While he paid back the bill in full and apologised, Holyrood’s Standard’s Committee also recommended a 54-day salary suspension, with Parliament expected to vote on the sanctions.

Mr Swinney said he believed the investigation had been “prejudiced” by comments made by Tory MSP Annie Wells – who is a committee member – prior to the probe.

Campaigning in the North East on Friday, alongside local Gordon and Buchan candidate, Harriet Cross, Mr Ross said voters will also punish the SNP for its “damaging” stance of a presumption against new oil and gas licences.

He said: “The SNP must sack Michael Matheson from the party and U-turn on their pathetic attempt to overturn the sanctions he faces for misusing taxpayers’ money and lying to the press, public and Scottish Parliament. In any other line of work, Michael Matheson would have already lost his job.

“John Swinney’s shameful defence of this disgraced former health secretary has left his nationalist candidates in a dreadful position on day one of this campaign.”

Mr Ross’ party is expected to write to SNP candidates to demand to know their stance on Mr Matheson.

Appealing to North East voters, he said the choice is firmly between SNP and the Tories.

“The SNP are opposed to new oil and gas developments, which is putting local jobs at risk,” he said.

“While the Scottish Conservatives are out speaking to people in the North East about the issues that matter to them, the nationalists will be mostly in the central belt talking about independence.”

SNP MP Kirsty Blackman said Mr Ross has “no business lecturing anyone on broken priorities”, particularly in the North East where she said the Conservatives’ “austerity, Brexit, and broken energy promises have caused economic devastation to communities while Westminster reaps the rewards of the area’s resources”.

She said: “And while this has happened Douglas Ross and his spineless seven Tory MPs have gleefully backed the UK government who have levelled extraordinary damage on families in this region.

“A vote for the SNP is the best way to finally get rid of Tory MPs across the North East and across Scotland.

“Decades worth of oil wealth has been squandered by Westminster politicians like Douglas Ross and his Tory colleagues, all while they pile on a package of economic harm on ordinary households in the area it’s generated in.

“While billions of pounds are extracted in oil and gas in the North Sea, the Tories reward households in the region with higher energy costs and a Westminster cost-of-living crisis that has cost every family in Scotland.

“This is a rotten Tory government long past its sell-by date, and the sooner we boot them out and elect SNP MPs who will stand up for the North East and Scotland’s values and priorities the better”.