Derek Mackay: Video shows him boast of drunkenness at SNP conference

A video clip of shamed finance minister Derek Mackay sees him boasting of how he was drunk before chairing an SNP conference panel and being told off by the First Minister for "stinking" of alcohol.

Derek Mackay has joked of his drunkenness at SNP conference.

The recorded interview with Holyrood Magazine sees Mr Mackay joke about being drunk after an SNP karaoke evening at the party's annual conference and how Nicola Sturgeon banned him from attending the social event in future.

In the interview, filmed at the SNP's 2019 conference in Aberdeen, Derek Mackay recalls the conversation with the First Minister who accused of him of "reeking".

He was SNP business manager at the time of the incident, and in charge of the daily conference agenda.

It was later also revealed Nicola Sturgeon had banned him from drinking during party conferences due to concerns about his behaviour, especially at the party’s infamous “conference karaoke” social event.

The video interview - published on Holyrood’s YouTube page - sees Mackay claim to have chaired a business conference while drunk claiming nobody noticed a thing.

Mr Mackay said: “I am the only person to be banned from the conference karaoke. One year I went, and after the karaoke, I went out and then I came into conference for a prep meeting.

“I went in and the First Minister saw me, and she said: ‘You are stinking of alcohol.’”

Pretending to slur his words as he did on the day, Mr Mackay continues: “You want to know First Minister, you want to know the truth, I think I’m still drunk.”

“She said: ‘You’re going to chair conference in that state,’ I said ‘Yep, and nobody will notice a thing.”

Laughing he adds: "And nobody noticed a thing unless you were on the stage and you were intoxicated from the fumes oozing out of my body. So I was banned from the conference karaoke for as long as I was business convener."

Mr Mackay was replaced as business convener last year, but said he did not attend the karaoke party as he had media duties to perform the next morning, joking he was being “responsible”.

Tonight Scottish Conservative chief whip Maurice Golden said: “This puts to bed any claim by Nicola Sturgeon that she didn’t know about Derek Mackay’s general conduct.

“This is an astonishing admission to make – and that kind of exchange simply wouldn’t be tolerated in any other workplace. It reveals a man who simply didn’t take his responsibilities seriously, and it’s amazing the SNP put up with this for so long.”

Today it was also revealed by The Herald that Mr Mackay had been stripped of his honorary role as vice-president of the Paisley and District Boy's Brigade battalion.

Acting BB chief executive Jonathan Eales previously said Mr Mackay, was “not a volunteer youth leader within the Boys’ Brigade and has no active role working with our young people”.

He said: “He holds an honorary position in Paisley and District battalion which is restricted to being a supporter of our work. In light of recent allegations this will now be subject to review.”

Today, Mr Eales confirmed: “As a result of this review I can confirm Derek Mackay is no longer listed as an honorary vice president of Paisley and District battalion.”