Michael Matheson quit his ministerial job because the government probe into his £11,000 iPad scandal shows that he lied to Holyrood’s Presiding Officer AFTER finding out his children had racked up the bill.
The Sunday Mail can reveal that the report, yet to be made public, sets out how the former Health Secretary told Alison Johnstone in a meeting he had no idea why the charges were so high.
Yet the disgraced MSP had been told days before by his wife that his sons had ran up the data charges watching football matches during their family holiday in Morocco.
We understand he faces being suspended by parliament and/or forced to apologise in the chamber when he is referred to either Holyrood’s standards, procedures and public appointments or the Ethical Standards Commissioner.
Matheson, 53, said he found out on November 9 that his children had used the iPad data to stream an Old Firm game but didn’t tell the public until November 16.
Between those two dates he met with Johnstone where he was asked to explain the reason for the huge bill but failed to inform her about streaming football matches. Days later he did confess the real reason to First Minister Humza Yousaf.
A source said: “There is a paper trail which doesn’t show him in a good light whatsoever. He has lied flat out to the presiding officer after he found out his kids had used the iPad. He was asked about it and he didn’t mention his kids using it whatsoever. It was an extensive meeting”.
They said the internal report, by the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB), contained “exchanges where he was resisting telling the truth about the data usage and the reason for the bill”.
It’s unclear what other excuse he gave the Presiding Officer, although it’s expected to be revealed when the report is made public later this month.
When the scandal emerged on November 8, the MSP for Falkirk repeatedly denied that he had used his work iPad for personal reasons and insisted the bill was “a legitimate parliamentary expense”.
First Minister Humza Yousaf learned the truth on November 14 – two days before the public found out – but continued to back his health secretary and refused to sack him despite growing frustration. He continued as health secretary until February 8 – earning an extra £12,712 in his cabinet office role than he would if he quit in November and just took his £67,000 MSP salary.
Last week, members of the public and fellow politicians were left puzzled over why Matheson chose to quit his £118,000-a-year job before apparently knowing if the report would exonerate him or not.
In his resignation statement he said: “I have still not received the findings of their review, however, it is in the best interest of myself and the Government for me to now step down to ensure this does not become a distraction to taking forward the Government’s agenda.”
But the Sunday Mail understands his lawyer had been passed the document before he quit and is likely to have told him what it said.
A source close to Matheson said: “He was right in saying he had not received the report because he hadn’t, but of course he knew what was in it otherwise he wouldn’t have resigned. I think he should have just admitted that he knew the report wasn’t going to look good for him.
“Instead he’s done another bizarre thing by saying he hadn’t received it but he was going to step down anyway. His behaviour throughout this whole scandal has been very unlike the Michael we’re used to and it’s hard to understand how and why he managed to mess this up so badly.”
Holyrood’s standards, procedures and public appointments or the Ethical Standards Commissioner could be asked to look at his conduct and decide on sanctions including having to apologise to parliament or be suspended for a certain period of time.
Currently there is no mechanism for removing MSPs from their seats if they refuse to quit. Tory MSP Graham Simpson has been developing a bill for the last three years which he hopes will make it easier for the public to get rid of their MSPs if their behaviour doesn’t live up to expectations.
He started work on the plans after former Finance Secretary Derek Mackay claimed a salary and expenses but failed to turn up to Holyrood for months after he was found to have sent hundreds of texts to a 16-year-old boy.
Simpson said: “The bill is looking to introduce a recall system, which kicks in if a member is banned from parliament for a particular period – in our case by the standards committee. It would then be for the voters to decide if there should be a recall vote as happened with Margaret Ferrier.
“As far as I know the standards committee has not yet received a report about Michael Matheson and it has not taken a view on what should happen to him. So this could be the sort of case which could be covered by my bill, depending on how they proceed.
“It is clear to me, however, that his behaviour falls far short of what people expect and are entitled to expect of their MSPs. His explanation so far of what he did has been preposterous.”
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Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie MSP said: “It’s very clear that Michael Matheson lied to the parliamentary authorities and made an entirely inappropriate claim for expenses.
“This also demonstrates the poor judgement of Humza Yousaf, putting the interest of the SNP before the interests of the NHS. Michael Matheson was distracted from doing his job and should have been sacked months ago.”
Matheson was contacted for comment.
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
