Sturgeon backs health minister over NHS row

Nicola Sturgeon has backed Shona Robison to remain as Health Secretary despite the head of Scotland’s public spending watchdog claiming clear warnings had been issued about NHS Tayside’s finances.

Caroline Gardner, the Auditor General for Scotland, said there was a “significant question” about why the warnings were not taken seriously.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard demanded the First Minister must “face up to the fact that the time has come for her Health Secretary to go”.

He pressed the SNP leader on the situation at NHS Tayside at First Minister’s Questions, saying: “Here we have a health board raiding charity funds to pay the bills and that is after fiddling the accounts. What makes this even worse is this all happening in Tayside under the nose of the Health Secretary.”

Ms Sturgeon said she would “continue to give my support as First Minister to the job the Health Secretary is doing”.