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Humza Yousaf, the First Minister of Scotland, stated that he was not given false information by Michael Matheson regarding the disclosure of his iPad data roaming charges. However, Yousaf believes that the Health Secretary could have managed the situation more effectively.
The Prime Minister stood up for Mr. Matheson, describing him as a person with strong principles, as a potential vote of disapproval against him approaches at the Scottish Parliament.
On Thursday, the Health Secretary of the Scottish Government acknowledged that his teenage sons utilized information from his iPad provided by Holyrood to stream soccer games while on vacation in Morocco, resulting in a roaming charge of nearly £11,000.
Although he initially claimed that the device was used for official work during the family trip in December and January, he later admitted that he had just found out about his family’s involvement. He chose not to reveal this information at first in order to protect his children.
He stated to the Scottish Parliament that he told the First Minister the truth on Tuesday.
The next day, Mr. Yousaf informed the PA news agency that the issue had been resolved, even though new information had been revealed.
During the Sunday broadcast of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House programme, Mr Yousaf was questioned about whether Mr Matheson had given him false information.
The First Minister stated that Mr Matheson had solely utilized the iPad for parliamentary matters and only became aware of his sons’ usage of the data at the end of last week.
Mr Yousaf stated that there is a valid inquiry that individuals have raised, which Michael had already discussed last week, about whether he should have publicly disclosed the reason for choosing to reimburse the entire bill at that time.
He was attempting to safeguard his kids.
.
He could have managed the situation more effectively.
He went on to say, “In my opinion, Michael – whom I have known for more than 15 years – is a person of high moral character and honesty.”
Michael should have managed the situation more effectively, and he is aware of that and has apologized for it.
He stated: “I do not think Michael intentionally misled me.”
Mr. Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservative party, accused Mr. Matheson of avoiding scrutiny.
The MP from Moray stated that only his party has the ability to propose a motion of no confidence against the Health Secretary.
During his appearance on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, he mentioned that none of the individuals, including Mr. Yousaf, Mr. Matheson, or the Deputy First Minister, had accepted the invitation to be on the show.
According to Mr. Ross, the reluctance of Scottish government officials to address crucial matters is impacting all levels of government in Scotland.
Since they are unable and unwilling to support the Health Secretary, who should have stepped down already, Humza Yousaf should have fired him.
The leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar, was also featured on the Sunday Show. He reiterated his demand for the resignation of the Health Secretary.
Mr Sarwar stated that he does not believe the First Minister or the Parliament should have faith in Michael Matheson and that he should step down.
He claims to have discovered the truth on Thursday, yet he continued to deceive the public for several days afterwards.
“He claims to have informed the First Minister on Tuesday, but the First Minister also made false statements the following day. This behavior is unacceptable in the public sphere.”
Source: independent.co.uk
