Scotland’s embattled Health Secretary Neil Gray has been forced into another humiliating apology for misleading parliament over the ‘limogate’ scandal.
The under-fire minister admitted he had been wrong to previously give MSPs assurances that there were summaries of all discussions which took place when he attended football matches.
It follows revelations at the weekend that there is no written record of discussions he was involved in when he attended the 2023 Scottish League Cup Final between his favourite team, Aberdeen, and Rangers.
It is a hugely significant development as ministers who are found to have misled parliament are normally expected to resign.
It is also the second time he has had to apologise over his attendance at football matches, using ministerial limos, after he previously said he had ‘given the impression of acting more as a fan and less as a minister’.
Mr Gray made the latest apology in the Holyrood chamber last night after MSPs had earlier accused him of making a ‘false statement’ to parliament.
He also admitted that he failed to follow strict rules requiring him to correct the official record within 20 days.
Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr said: ‘Neil Gray has been forced into this humiliating apology, but serious questions remain for the SNP health secretary to answer.
‘He has misled Parliament and it will be clear to the public that he has only made this statement because he has been found out.
‘Neil Gray promised that a summary of all the matches he attended would be available, but that was simply not true.
‘John Swinney might have declared this case closed but there remain gaping holes in how Neil Gray has tried to pull the wool over the eyes of Scots. Yet another SNP health secretary is now mired in a scandal all of his own making, while our NHS is in state of permanent crisis.’
Mr Gray told MSPs he had reviewed an answer given to MSPs following his statement to parliament about the football engagements in November, when he said that summaries of his conversations ‘will be available for all the engagements that I have been participating in’.
He said: ‘Despite being clear earlier in the session that I would need to check, I recognise that I asserted that there would be summaries available for all the engagements. It has since come to light that this is incorrect and I am sorry for that inadvertent error.’
He highlighted that parliament rules allow MSPs 20 days to make corrections to the official report, and admitted: ‘That time has unfortunately passed, and so I am seeking your guidance now Presiding Officer on how I can best make members aware of the position I have set out today.’
Mr Gray made the statement in a point of order after Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone had said earlier that it is of “paramount importance” that accurate information is given to parliament.
He attended nine football matches involving Aberdeen or Scotland in the period between 2022 and 2024 in which he used a Government car to and from each match.
He was forced to admit he took a ‘family member or guest’ to all the Aberdeen games and two Scotland matches he went to on ‘official business’
In November, he sought to reassure parliament that the matches were not junkets and that officials had made a record of his meetings at the matches.
He was a VIP guest of the Scottish Professional Football League at the League Cup Final in December 2023 and said he held official discussions with the Scottish Football Association.
At the weekend, the Sunday Post revealed that the Scottish Government had confirmed it could provide no minutes or summaries of the meeting.
Tory MSP Douglas Ross yesterday said parliament standing orders require that the official record is corrected ‘as quickly as possible’.
He said ministers had known about the issue since the freedom of information request was published and ‘at the very latest’ when the newspaper ran the story on Sunday and asked the Presiding Officer if the issue was raised by the SNP at yesterday’s (TUE) meeting of the Parliamentary Bureau.
Ms Johnstone replied: ‘I can confirm that there was no discussion at Bureau today.’
Neil Bibby, Scottish Labour’s sport spokesman, said: ‘Once again, Neil Gray has apologised for misleading Parliament, but the only reason that he’s now admitted to this mistake is because of pressure from opposition parties and the press.
‘We need honesty and transparency from SNP ministers not this culture of secrecy and spin.
‘This is the latest example of SNP ministers misleading Parliament – the First Minister needs to explain if he thinks this behaviour is acceptable, what action he’s going to take against Neil Gray on this case and how he’s going to stamp out this culture in his government.’
In an earlier point of order, Mr Kerr said to Ms Johnstone: ‘Clearly, the Cabinet Secretary has provided information to parliament which is inaccurate, whether intentionally or otherwise.
‘What powers do you have as presiding officer to sanction a member who has evidentially made a false statement to this chamber?’