Sturgeon accused of lying over ward closure

A local campaigner who clashed with Nicola Sturgeon in a televised debate over a threatened hospital children’s ward has accused the First Minister of “lying” over its closure.

Gordon Clark was at Holyrood yesterday to listen to First Ministers Questions where Ms Sturgeon was urged to apologise to him by Labour leader Richard Leonard. The closure of the children’s ward at the Royal Alexandra hospital in Paisley was confirmed last week.

Mr Clark also hit out at local MP Mhairi Black over her failure to lobby Ms Sturgeon for it to be saved.

The campaigner raised the issue during an election hustings in 2016, but Ms Sturgeon told him there were no plans to close the ward. Ms Sturgeon insisted yesterday the closure plans only emerged a year after the TV debate.