POLITICS: Red card for Michael Matheson whose sons watched football on TV

An independent parliamentary probe was launched into the SNP minister after he attempted to charge taxpayers £11k for a data bill he racked up while he was on a festive holiday to Morocco.

For days he claimed that it was all on parliamentary business, but was forced to humiliatingly admit that his sons had used his data to watch Scottish football.

Mr Matheson faced claims that he lied to journalists over the incident, as he told them just days before confessing his sons used it that there was “no personal use” while on holiday.

The Parliament’s governing Corporate Body ordered an internal investigation at the height of the row, with this being given to him this week.

“From Humza Yousaf to Michael Matheson, our NHS has known only crisis, soaring vacancies and ever longer waits. Their NHS Recovery Plan has failed.

“Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out plans to fix the NHS, tackle staff burnout, save NHS dentistry and deliver the world-class mental health services we deserve.”

Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie said: “While I welcome the news that Michael Matheson has finally gone, the fact is the First Minister has big questions to answer over his lack of judgement. 

“While our NHS is in crisis, Humza Yousaf has shown his weakness by putting the SNP before our NHS. 

“Now more than ever we need a health minister focused on the crisis at hand. 

“It’s clear that the First Minister has no plan to save our NHS and that shuffling the SNP deckchairs will make no difference – it’s time for change.”

As the Scottish Parliament met for First Minister’s Questions day speculation was rife as to who would succeed Mr Matheson in his role which, given the accident and emergency and waiting times figures is widely perceived to be Holyrood’s poison chalice.

Meanwhile, Humza Yousaf continued to defend Michael Matheson.

Tory leader Douglas Ross, a football referee, said the First Minister should have sacked Michael Matheson when it became clear he had made a false claim for thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money and misled the public, press and the Scottish Parliament.

At First Minister’s Questions, Douglas Ross, left, said Humza Yousaf’s own reputation was “in tatters over this scandal” as he had “accepted and tolerated dishonesty in government”.

The SNP leader claimed that Michael Matheson’s £11,000 claim was a “legitimate parliamentary expense” and that the matter was “closed” months ago.

Humza Yousaf said he had “absolute and full confidence” in Michael Matheson, describing him as “a man of integrity and honesty”.

However, Douglas Ross said: “Michael Matheson was dishonest about his £11,000 iPad bill. He made a false claim for thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money. He misled the public, press and the Scottish Parliament.

“Humza Yousaf should have sacked him the minute it became clear Michael Matheson had not told the truth. But the SNP leader continued to have this disgraced minister in government for months after this scandal came to light.

“Humza Yousaf backed each version of the former health secretary’s story, every step of the way, even when it became blindingly obvious to everyone in Scotland that he had been dishonest.

“He stood by him even when he cancelled appearances at GP surgeries and stopped doing his job to avoid scrutiny. He let him continue as health secretary while he was distracted. He was just about the only person who still supported Michael Matheson.

“Humza Yousaf staked his own personal reputation on backing the former health secretary. He was willing to accept and tolerate dishonesty in government.

“Humza Yousaf’s own reputation is in tatters over this scandal. He looks weak.

“Trust in his government is gone, the SNP’s credibility is gone, Michael Matheson is gone, but Humza Yousaf the human shield is still here defending the dishonest and disgraced former health secretary.

“How can anybody trust a single word that Humza Yousaf and the SNP Government says ever again?”

Then Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, right, waded into the SNP. He said: “After months of Humza Yousaf battling to keep Michael Matheson in his job, today the Health Secretary has finally resigned.

“That will make the headlines today, but the crisis in our NHS has been seventeen years in the making.

“Humza Yousaf may hope swapping one failing SNP minister for another is going to solve the problem. But it won’t.

“While the Government pretends there is no crisis and that they have it under control, that is not the experience for patients across the country.

“For many people, delays in accessing treatment can be fatal.

“There were over 12,000 people last year for whom an ambulance was called but who died before reaching the hospital.

“That is up from just over 7,100 in 2019. An increase of over 70% in just four years.

“Many of these people may have survived if an ambulance could have reached them sooner, or if they could have been admitted to hospital more quickly.

“This is the real-world consequence of SNP incompetence and a failure to get to grips with the crisis in our NHS.

“Back when the First Minister was Health Secretary, the Government promised to contact all 150,000 women who were wrongly excluded from cervical screening by August 2021.

“More than two and half years later 65,000 women are still waiting to have their cases reviewed.

“At least one of these women has died while waiting for this Government.

“The reality is that these women – and too many people who need the NHS – are being failed by an incompetent SNP Government.

“The result? A&E delays get worse, waiting lists grow, staff burn out and patients’ lives are put at risk.

“This Government would rather deny its incompetence than face up to the problem.

“Their financial mismanagement is further risking frontline NHS services.

“They would rather continue with a culture of secrecy than learn the lessons of their failures.

“Whoever this weak First Minister chooses to be the next Health Secretary won’t fix our NHS.

“It’s not just a change of Health Secretary we need it’s a change from this incompetent SNP Government.”

Responding to the news that Michael Matheson has resigned as Health Secretary, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, right, said: “Our health service is on its knees. Patients are waiting an age for treatment and staff are overworked on every shift.

“They all deserve better than an SNP minister who has lost their trust and could no longer focus on the day job.

“From Humza Yousaf to Michael Matheson, our NHS has known only crisis, soaring vacancies and ever longer waits. Their NHS Recovery Plan has failed.

“Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out plans to fix the NHS, tackle staff burnout, save NHS dentistry and deliver the world-class mental health services we deserve.”