Humza Yousaf was skewered over his record of truth-telling during First Minister’s Questions this afternoon, as Labour’s leader in Scotland tore into him over the latest allegations of failing to admit errors.
The under-siege SNP leader was slammed by Anas Sarwar, who pointed out that “in the short time Humza Yousaf has been First Minister, the record of this Parliament has had to be corrected three times because of wrong information he has told this chamber”.
“Once was in response to the serious issue of the Covid inquiry and deleted WhatsApp messages. Another was in response to me in this chamber when the First Minister gave an inaccurate answer about Scotland’s renewables.
“But instead of immediately correcting the record, he took up hours of civil service time to try and spare his blushes… This is a Government that is running out of road, desperate to save their jobs and willing to say anything to cling on to power.”
The First Minister’s response sparked laughter and heckles in the Scottish Parliament, as instead of refuting the attack Mr Yousaf argued the Scottish public have voted for the SNP “time and time again”.
“There’s a reason why Anas Sarwar and the Conservative Party sit here in opposition!”
After the Holyrood speaker intervened to calm down the chamber, Mr Yousaf concluded he wouldn’t “take any lectures from Anas Sarwar about how you win an election!”
In recent days Mr Yousaf had to deny misleading parliament over Scotland’s renewable energy capacity.
In June 2022 he claimed Scotland had the majority of the UK’s renewables.
He dismissed suggestions that, rather than admit his inaccuracy, civil servants were directed to retrospectively create statistics to justify the falsehood.
Three days ago, he said the matter was “closed”.
However today, the These Islands group published unreacted emails, gained via a Freedom of Information request, showing civil servants in fact recommended the First Minister make a strictly factual correction – advice Mr Yousaf rejected.
According to an email sent by one official hours after Mr Yousaf told Holyrood the inaccuracy, Scotland in fact accounts for just 26 percent of the UK’s renewable capacity.
These Islands has also published countless emails from June 22 to July 21 with the First Minister’s office and civil servants desperately trying to find a way of justifying Mr Yousaf’s claim, before he wrote to the Presiding Office claiming what he “had intended to say” was Scotland has “the majority of the renewables per capital and the natural resources”.
The organisation argues the chain of emails undermines his claim he had “intended” to make such a claim.
Following FMQs, deputy Scottish Tory leader Meghan Gallacher said Mr Yousaf had “burst into a blundering defence of the SNP”.
“Trying to talk down other political parties, instead of answering questions over transparency.
“It is embarrassing and cringeworthy to watch.”
