Two weeks and Yousaf unresponsive to evidence pointing towards ministerial code breach

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today marked two weeks since he wrote to the First Minister calling on him to refer himself to the Independent Adviser on the Scottish Ministerial Code, with the Scottish Government still unable to explain claims Humza Yousaf made in a letter to Parliament.

Mr Cole-Hamilton's call came after a freedom of information request revealed the Scottish Government discussing options for explaining false claims made by the First Minister on 22 June 2023. The documents suggest a fact was reverse engineered to save embarrassment, if so making it impossible for the First Minister to have had the “intention” of quoting it as he later informed Parliament.

At a briefing for journalists a fortnight ago, an adviser to Mr Yousaf said that the First Minister had not decided whether to refer himself to the Independent Adviser on the Scottish Ministerial Code because he was busy in New York.

Commenting on the delay, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“If the explanation that the First Minister gave Parliament was actually an established government statistic rather than one manufactured to save his blushes, I am sure he will be able to point to some evidence of it existing in previous government documents and briefings.

“We need to know if the First Minister will refer himself to the independent advisor for an investigation. Humza Yousaf and the Scottish Government have been unresponsive for two weeks.

"Out of respect for our Parliament, you would expect the First Minister to give this matter his attention.

“The ministerial code is very clear that ministers who knowingly mislead the Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation.”