The embarrassed former minister – who left in 2020 after a text message scandal with a teenager – broke his two-year silence to tell the Sunday Times that he was “willing to work with a parliamentary committee and do whatever it takes.” my hand to answer any questions. May have.” Mr Mackay was accused by Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon of signing the 97 97m deal to build two ships, despite being warned that it posed “significant risks” to taxpayers, as it had no standard financial safeguards, including refund from manufacturers. Ships are now five years behind schedule and costs have more than doubled, from εκατο 97 million τουλάχιστον to at least εκατο 240 million £. A recent Audit Scotland report stated that “it was not clear what discussions took place between the Scottish and Scottish Transport Ministers regarding the award of the contract. “There is no evidence that Scottish ministers were willing to accept the risks of being awarded the contract by FMEL, despite CMAL ‘s concerns. “We believe that this important decision should have been recorded correctly.” In parliament, after Scottish leader Tory Douglas Ross asked Sterzon to say who “gave the green light” for the contract, the SNP leader said: “Who was the Minister of Transport at the moment is, of course, a matter. public. . That was Derek McKay. ” Mr Mackay’s friends said he was surprised he was charged. In a statement, he said: “I’m willing to work with a parliamentary committee and do what I can to answer any questions they may have. “To make it as complete as possible, I will seek access to the necessary documents and information to which I am entitled as a former government minister.” Government documents at the time show that Keith Brown, who was secretary of the Transportation Cabinet, was invited to sign Ferguson as the preferred bidder in August 2015, while Mackay was on leave. Documents also confirm the involvement of the first deputy minister, John Swinney, in the case, revealing that “he approved the financial consequences of the award of the contract before the announcement of the Foreign Minister. [the first minister] on August 31 by FMEL [Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited] preferred bidder “. A friend of Mackay, who is trying to rebuild his career as a consultant, said: “Derek believes he has been a victim in this whole affair and is happy to be on the panel to clarify the facts and deal with the facts. . . “In fact, he says he was fourth in line for ferry orders, as the junior transport minister – the lowest of those involved. He was behind the key players: Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney and Keith Brown. “Anyone who knows anything about how these processes work knows that something of this magnitude could never have happened without prior approval at the highest levels.” The Holyrood Public Audit Committee is expected to authorize a parliamentary inquiry into the ferry scandal later this month. In an interview with the BBC Scotland Sunday Show, Transport Secretary Jenny Gilruth was asked if she would like to see Mr Mackay give his side to the story. “I am not going to comment on former ministers. I do not think it would be appropriate to do so. I recognize that a lot of parliamentary time has been devoted to addressing this issue,” he said. Asked if the public deserved to know why the minister’s concerns rejected the CMAL’s concerns about approving the deal, Gilruth said: “I think we were well informed about it. I think Audit Scotland [report] makes it clear and we were absolutely clear that we will learn lessons from what happened. “But the fundamental thing now is that we deliver these ships to the island communities who really need them, and that is what we are absolutely focused on doing and we are committed to ensuring that these ships are up and running by the end of 2023. the deadline given to us “. Scottish Transportation Representative Neil Bibby said: “These comments are sure to raise blood pressure at Bute House “We welcome Derek Mackay to testify. Nicola Sturgeon and Kate Forbes have completely failed to explain why the taxpayer has been deceived, the islanders have been disappointed and the workforce has threatened their future. “A committee inquiry is an opportunity for Derek Mackay to finally set the record and shed a desperately needed light on this dark scandal. “The Prime Minister’s attempt to blame Mackay collapsed within hours, but it was still at the heart of the awkward deal. “After weeks of twists and turns, secrecy and no response from a number of ministers, we must hope that Mackay will clear up where his former colleagues failed.” Scottish Conservative Transport Minister Graham Simpson MSP said: “Jenny Gilruth and the SNP are trying to get over this scandal and are completely wrong about how wrong they were with this contract. “The SNP has recklessly thrown away a huge amount of taxpayers’ cash and no one within the party owns or takes responsibility for this absolute chaos. “The Scottish Government’s turn is becoming more and more desperate as each day goes by and Scotland deserves the right answers. “Island communities need to be given an honest explanation as to why these lifeboats are still waiting years after they are completed.” Meanwhile, Alex Neal, a former SNP minister, said questions should be asked of Scottish civil servants, including former secretary-general Leslie Evans. He said: “Given the auditor general’s comments and CMAL’s well-founded suspicions about the absence of loan guarantees, what did the accounting officers, senior civil servants, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Transport do about it? “Someone must be held accountable, there must be full transparency, full publication of documents and emails before a parliamentary committee. “Ultimately, there has to be a time-limited investigation under the guidance of judges.” Mr Mackay – who was promoted to finance minister in May 2016 – was forced to resign from the cabinet in 2020 after being arrested for communicating with a boy via social media without knowing his age and then sending him 270 messages. in six months. She called him “cute”, invited him to dinner and asked them to keep their conversations secret. Opposition parties have described it as “predatory” and a school example of “grooming”. Mr Mackay “unreservedly” apologized to the boy, but was made available by the SNP and launched a partisan inquiry into his behavior. He left the SNP in March 2021 and the findings of the investigation were never made public.
