Douglas Ross: 'Serious questions' about Matheson's future as an MSP if report finds he misled officials

The Scottish Tory leader called on Michael Matheson to do ‘the right thing’ and hand back severance pay

There would be "serious questions" about Michael Matheson's future as an MSP if a Holyrood report into his £11,000 iPad bill concludes he misled the Scottish Parliament's top officials, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said.

Douglas Ross said the finding would be "unforgivable".

It comes after The Times reported that a parliamentary probe into Mr Matheson's expenses claim found he had misled Alison Johnstone, Holyrood's presiding officer, and David McGill, its chief executive.

Michael Matheson, right, and First Minister Humza Yousaf

Mr Matheson resigned as health secretary on Thursday morning following months of pressure over the huge data roaming bill racked up on his Holyrood-issued iPad while he was on a family holiday in Morocco.

The cost was initially picked up by the taxpayer, but Mr Matheson agreed to reimburse it after an outcry. He later admitted he had discovered it was the result of his teenage sons using the parliamentary device as a hotspot to watch football.

Mr Matheson will be entitled to £12,712 in severance pay following his resignation. He did not reply to an email from The Scotsman asking if he intends to keep this money or return it.

Mr Ross said the former minister should do “the right thing” and refuse to accept the money. “I think the public would be appalled if he were to accept that money given the way he continued, disgraced, in office for several months and the way he had to finally resign,” he said. “So I hope he, at some stage in this whole sorry saga, does the right thing and either refuses to accept that money or pays it back."

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) is due to release the initial findings of its probe into the iPad bill in due course. It agreed a draft report on Wednesday. Mr Matheson has received a copy of this document and has two weeks to respond.

Asked about the claims Mr Matheson may have misled top officials, the Scottish Tory leader said: "That is an extremely serious allegation and if that has occurred – there is a level of trust that there must be amongst MSPs and amongst the public who we serve.

"And if we have one of the most senior members of government at the time misleading the presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, then it would be appalling. It would be unforgivable, and does raise serious questions about his [Mr Matheson’s] future in politics."

Mr Ross previously accused First Minister Humza Yousaf of “weak” leadership over the scandal. Mr Yousaf has rejected suggestions his judgement is in question following his decision to stand by Mr Matheson.

Last year, Mr Yousaf insisted his former health secretary was a man of integrity and honesty, who had made a mistake. But following his resignation, the First Minister said it was right that Mr Matheson steps aside to avoid the issue becoming a “distraction”.

Arriving at NFU Scotland's spring conference in Glasgow on Friday, Mr Yousaf told journalists on Matheson: "He's served this country and served this Parliament for decades. He asked for due process – an investigation – to take place. That investigation is drawing to a conclusion, he wrote to me to say he was going to stand down and I accepted his resignation."

Mr Ross made his latest comments while launching a new policy paper on health and the future of the NHS in Edinburgh, which included plans to deliver 1,000 additional GPs by the end of the next parliamentary term.

His party also vowed to give patients a guarantee of seeing a family doctor within a week by raising the proportion of NHS funding to GP services by 12 per cent, while health boards could be sanctioned if they exceed national waiting times.

Mr Ross appealed to Neil Gray, who was appointed health secretary on Thursday after Mr Matheson’s resignation, to take forward the Tory proposals, which he said would strengthen the crisis-hit health sector.

In a speech, Mr Ross stressed the need for “personal responsibility” to help alleviate pressures on the NHS. “If the NHS is to recover, then part of the responsibility has to be placed on the public to better care for ourselves,” he said.

The Scottish Tories leader said more than 8,000 Scots died of smoking each year, while obesity cost the NHS £600 million per year. “That is why we need to communicate strongly the benefits of making healthier choices,” he said. “To say loudly that it is never too late to take action to improve.

“And to make those choices as easy as possible, especially during a cost-of-living crisis, by reducing the cost of taking part in sport or buying healthy food. This would be an important start in how we can deliver a healthier population that is living longer and better in Scotland. Yet it would also reduce pressures on our NHS.”

Speaking to journalists afterwards, the Scottish Tory leader said there needed to be a better process in the Scottish Parliament for dealing with cases like the one involving Mr Matheson.

"We must have a process that is available for MSPs to be referred to and investigated fully,” he said. “The system in Westminster does have independent input, which I think is important."

He pointed to Tory plans to introduce a new law that would allow MSPs to be removed from office under certain circumstances.

Mr Ross added: "There have been serious problems with the system for some time. But I think this episode with Michael Matheson has shone a light on the deficiencies and that must be addressed as a matter of urgency."