New drug minister’s ‘dismal track record’
ANGELA Constance, who has been a Nationalist MSP since 2007, was first tasked with tackling youth unemployment in 2011 before being handed Cabinet status as Secretary for Training, Youth & Women’s Employment in April 2014.
Critics said her promotion was a ‘stunt’ to win over female voters ahead of the referendum.
Shortly after she was given the job, Scottish Labour challenged Miss Constance to demonstrate that her Cabinet appointment was something more than ‘gesture politics’.
Labour MSP Jenny Marra cited statistics showing youth unemployment was higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK as evidence Miss Constance had a ‘dismal record’.
In September 2014 – the same month Scotland voted to remain part of the UK – Miss Constance made headlines by wearing a pair of £125 ‘Bambi Deer’ high heels as she entered Holyrood.
Later that year she contested the SNP’s depute leadership, a position made vacant by Nicola Sturgeon’s elevation to the leadership following Alex Salmond’s departure. Stewart Hosie won the election while Miss Constance was eliminated in the first round of votes. In November 2014, she was appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.
In May 2016 John Swinney was appointed education secretary during a Cabinet shuffle which Miss Sturgeon said reflected the importance her government placed on education. Miss Constance was instead moved to take on the portfolio of communities, social security and equalities.
However, she left that role in June 2018. Although the official line was that she ‘stepped down,’ reports stated she was effectively sacked.