Scotland’s new health secretary has a tough job ahead
◆ Close ally of Humza Yousaf enters the role vacated by Michael Matheson amid mounting crisis facing NHS
Neil Gray was warned he has a “tough job ahead of him” as one of Humza Yousaf’s most loyal allies was unveiled as Scotland’s new health secretary.
The resignation of Michael Matheson from the health portfolio after months of pressure over ipad roaming charges triggered a major Cabinet reshuffle yesterday in which three new ministers were appointed.
Mr Gray, 37, who was a key figure in Mr Yousaf ’s campaign to become first minister last year, was given one of the biggest and most important briefs in the Scottish Parliament.
He had previously been the wellbeing economy, fair work and energy secretary within the Scottish Government.
Mr Gray’s promotion sparked a series of other changes to a new-look Cabinet.
Màiri Mcallan was made wellbeing economy, net zero and energy secretary, after the First Minister decided to merge the climate and economy portfolios.
Fiona Hyslop has also been promoted from transport minister to transport secretary.
There are also three new ministers. Christina Mckelvie has been appointed drugs and alcohol policy minister, replacing Elena Whitham, who resigned from the role while citing her battle with post-traumatic stress earlier this week.
Kaukab Stewart becomes international development minister, and Jim Fairlie becomes agriculture and connectivity minister.
Ms Stewart is now the first woman of colour to enter the Scottish Government.
Mr Fairlie has been elevated despite supporting former finance secretary Kate Forbes in the leadership race when she stood against Mr Yousaf.
The First Minister said the new appointments "reflect this government’s priorities and the missions that drive them – equality, opportunity and community – and I look forward to working with them as we continue to deliver for the people of Scotland”.
“The new, green economy is a massive economic opportunity for Scotland,” Mr Yousaf said. “If we grasp it, we can help the world tackle climate change while delivering wellpaid jobs and sustainable growth in Scotland for generations to come.
"That’s why we will now bring these two portfolios together, and Màiri Mcallan is the right person to drive it forward.
“As economy secretary, Neil Gray has been widely praised for resetting the relationship with business. Now at the helm of the NHS – our most precious institution – and social care, Neil will be charged with continuing its recovery from Covid, driving down waiting times, and reforming the service to improve outcomes for patients."
And Mr Yousaf – who was himself health secretary before taking over as First Minister last year – said: “Neil Gray stepping into what I think is one of the toughest jobs in government.”
But he added: “Anybody who knows Neil knows that he thrives on a challenge. He’s got energy. He’s dynamic. I’ve told him it’s a tough job. I say that fromverypersonalexperience.
“But he is immensely capable and he is going to thrive in that
The new, green economy is a massive economic opportunity for Scotland Humza Yousaf
job and I have got every confidence not just in him but in every single cabinet secretary and minister to deliver.”
Mr Gray grew up in Kirkwall, Orkney, and has previously said he was inspired to get into politics after his father campaigned to stop his primary school being closed.
As a child, Mr Gray enjoyed athletics and has spoken about spending most of his weekends travelling to different competitions, before going to study politics and journalism at Stirling University.
Before becoming a politician himself, Mr Gray worked as a parliamentary assistant in former health secretary Alex Neil’s Airdrie and Shotts constituency office
Mr Neil, who was SNP health secretary from 2012 to 2014, said that Mr Gray had “actually seen at arm’s length what the job of health secretary entails”. He praised the newly-elevated minister, saying Mr Gray could understand the pressures of the position, although these would have increased "because the crisis in the health service is substantially much worse than what it was".
But Mr Neil said Mr Yousaf had got the scandal wrong by sticking by a beleaguered Mr Matheson. "It's a self-inflicted wound that could have been easily avoided in my view,” he said.
Megan Gallacher, the deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said Mr Gray had "a tough job ahead of him". But she stressed she would wait and see what the minister’s strategy was to reduce spiralling NHS and accident-andemergency waiting times.
In a sign of the scale of the challenge facing Mr Gray, figures published earlier this week showed in the final month of 2023 a total of 42,442 patients spent more than four hours in hospital emergency departments.
Mr Gray began his political career in Westminster. He won the Airdrie and Shotts seat in 2015 and was the SNP’S spokesman on social justice, work and pensions, and fair work and employment.
However, he quit as an MP in 2021 and became the MSP for Airdrie and Shotts in the Scottish Parliament elections that year.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: "This weak first minister can reshuffle the pack all he wants – the fact is that all the cards left are jokers.
"After 17 years it is clear that this tired SNP government is out of ideas and out of road."