Former SNP minister Derek Mackay will not face police charges

Derek Mackay will not face police charges over the scandal that caused the shock end of his political career, it has been confirmed.

Scotland's finance secretary Derek Mackay quit just hours before he was due to present the budget on February 6. Picture: Andy Buchanan/ Getty Images

The MSP stunned colleagues in the Scottish Parliament in February when he suddenly resigned his position as finance secretary in Nicola Sturgeon’s cabinet just hours before he was due to deliver the 2020 budget to MSPs.

It was revealed that Mr Mackay had sent hundreds of unsolicited messages to a teenage boy over a period of months - including one in which he described him as “cute”.

The teenager subsequently made a statement to Police Scotland but did not made a formal complaint regarding the behaviour of the politician.

Mackay was suspended by the SNP but currently remains an MSP, despite repeated calls for him to stand down before the 2021 Holyrood elections.

Police Scotland confirmed they found no evidence a crime had taken place.

But that decision has been criticised by the mother of the teenage boy.

“It’s a joke if they haven’t spoken to him and interviewed my son three times,” she told the Scottish Sun.

“They should have checked everything on his phone too. I am shocked if they haven’t done that.”

Mr Mackay has not been seen in public since he shocked the Scottish political world with his sudden resignation from Nicola Sturgeon’s cabinet on February 5.

In allegations published earlier this month, Mr Mackay is said to have contacted the boy “out of the blue” and sent about 270 messages on Instagram and through Facebook.

In one of the exchanges it is claimed that Mr Mackay told the teenager he was “cute”. In another the boy confirmed he was 16 and tells Mr Mackay “not to try anything”.

Mr Mackay, who was widely tipped as a future first minister, came out as gay when he left his wife in 2013. He has not been seen in public since the scandal broke.