First Minister Humza Yousaf has stated that he will not intervene in the Scottish Parliament’s standards committee process as it deliberates on the repercussions of former health secretary Michael Matheson’s breach of the MSPs’ code of conduct.
Yousaf emphasized that Matheson, despite his mistake, should not be compelled to resign as an MSP, describing him as a “decent person” who has already faced consequences for his actions.
Matheson was found to have breached the MSPs’ code of conduct due to an approximately £11,000 bill incurred on a parliamentary iPad during a family vacation to Morocco.
Although Matheson stepped down from his Cabinet post last month, Yousaf defended him, stating that he had already repaid the expenses and would accept any consequences determined by the standards committee.
Opposition politicians have called for Matheson’s resignation, but Yousaf argued against this, emphasizing that individuals can make mistakes and face consequences without being forced to step down from their positions. He asserted that Matheson had already lost his government job and was paying a price for his error.
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) found that Matheson had committed multiple breaches of the MSPs’ code of conduct and referred the matter to the standards committee to consider potential sanctions. The full report will be released after the committee’s deliberations.
Initially, Matheson used his MSP expenses to cover the bill before deciding to pay it himself, following public pressure. In an emotional statement to Holyrood last year, Matheson explained that the costs were incurred by his teenage sons, who had used the parliamentary iPad to access the internet during their holiday.
