Sturgeon ‘breached minister code over meeting with Mccoll’
Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to refer herself to the independent advisers on the ministerial code over accusations she breached the rulebook for ministers around a meeting with the former owner of the Ferguson Marine shipyard.
It comes as ministers confirmedtheyhadbroughtinconsultancy Teneo to interrogate theshipyard’slatestdemandfor more taxpayer cash.
The two ferries being built at the shipyard, the Glen Sannox and hull 802, are more than six yearslateandlikelytocostmore than£300million.however,the Scottishgovernmenthasyetto agree to the latest request for additional funding at the shipyardfromchiefexecutivedavid Tydeman.
In September, he requested an additional £80m from the Government – an increase that would bring the total cost to the taxpayer since nationalisation up to £202.6m.
Aheadofthebudget,duetobe set out in less than a fortnight, ministers have brought in Teneo, which have advised officialsoncontroversialindustrial interventionssuchasthelochaber guarantee, to help scrutinise the request and undertake due diligence.
Agovernmentspokesperson said this would “ensure a rigorous approach is taken to scrutinising the request for additional funding”, but did not set out when the final decision would be made.
The political row around the ferries continues apace, with the Scottish Conservatives accusing the First Minister of breaching two sections of the ministerial code around a meeting held with tycoon and former Ferguson’s owner Jim
Mccoll in 2017. The meeting, which took place with only a special adviser present, is contentious due to the apparent lack of formal minutes.
Under the code, ministers are required to ensure the “basic facts” of any meeting with an external individual is appropriately recorded.
In this case, all that appears to havebeennotedisanemaildiscussing follow-up requests for more information for Ms Sturgeon. This, and the lack of a private secretary or senior civil servant, is the basis for the Tory claim the ministerial code has been breached.
Craig Hoy, the party chairman, has written to Ms Sturgeondemandingsherefersherself to the independent adviser ontheministerialcodeforaformal ruling on whether it was breached.
He said: “The email evidence which the First Minister presents as the supposed minute of a meeting with Jim Mccoll is nothing of the sort because it reveals very little about what was discussed. This is made more worrying by the fact Mr Mccoll has given a very different account of the discussion.
“Nicolasturgeonalsoappears to have forgotten the clear distinction between special advisers and civil service officials.
"It’sclearnoofficialswerepresentatthismeetingandnofacts were passed on afterwards. Under the code, this must happenifnoofficialisinattendance when Government business is being discussed.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The First Minister has complied in full with the obligations of the ministerial code in respect of this meeting and there is nothing in Mrhoy’slatestlettertoindicate otherwise.”