Hypocrite Humza!

Transport Minister dodged rail chaos ... and travelled by limo

EMBATTLED Humza Yousaf was yesterday accused of hypocrisy over his frequent use of Ministerial limousines.

Recently published records show the Transport Minister avoided the rail strikes that caused chaos for many thousands of commuters this summer – by using luxury, chauffeur-driven Government cars.

During the first four months of his tenure, which began on May 18, Mr Yousaf averaged one limo journey per working day.

Last night, political opponents nicknamed him ‘Minister for Limos’. They also accused him of hypocrisy, for calling on the rest of us to use public transport.

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Neil Bibby said: ‘It would appear that Humza Yousaf is more interested in being Minister for Limos than Minister for Trains.

‘After he was appointed, rail passengers endured a summer of delays, overcrowding and cancellations. After he was presented with a ScotRail improvement plan, performance deteriorated.

‘But while passengers endured a shoddy service, Mr Yousaf was being chauffeured around the country, seemingly oblivious to the crisis on our railways.

‘After the disruption that they have endured, rail passengers deserve a break. Mr Yousaf should agree to our call for a fare freeze in 2017.’

Details of Ministerial car use between May and August show that, following Mr Yousaf’s appointment as Transport Minister, he used the fleet of Jaguars, BMWs and Mercedes on 65 occasions over the next 14 weeks, a tally of one for every working day.

Separate figures showed that, as the rail problems piled up, Mr Yousaf avoided the train.

He made only nine single rail journeys, all between Edinburgh and Glasgow, during May, June, July and August. But when the strikes really started biting in July, he did not use the train at all, preferring instead to travel by Ministerial car.

Mr Yousaf has come under intense pressure over the performance of ScotRail and has faced repeated calls for his resignation because of the many delays and cancellations which have been plaguing the country’s long-suffering commuters all year.

He also faced the embarrassment of being caught driving without insurance last week, an offence which he dismissed as a ‘genuine mistake’, blaming the lapse on the break-up of his marriage.

Now the extent of his limousine use has emerged, Mr Yousaf will find himself under more pressure, particularly when he claims to understand the concerns of harassed commuters.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Mr Yousaf defended his use of limousines, insisting he only used them when necessary.

He also produced unpublished records showing he has, in recent months, increased his use of the train. He took eight rail journeys in September, one in October and 16 last month.

The spokesman said it was not always possible to take the train to Ministerial engagements, adding: ‘We continually look for ways to minimise the use of cars for official journeys.

‘Our aim is to ensure the Government Car Service is delivered in the most cost-effective manner, offering the best deal to the taxpayer.’