Scottish civil servants accused of ‘going native’ in support of SNP
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Scotland’s most senior mandarin has been urged to launch an investigation into his civil servants “going native” in support of the SNP in the wake of “alarming” evidence presented to the UK Covid Inquiry.
The Tories wrote to John-Paul Marks, the Scottish Government’s permanent secretary, highlighting the “nakedly political” behaviour of supposedly impartial civil servants.
They expressed particular concern at an email sent by Scott Wightman, the director for external affairs, in July 2020 warning SNP ministers against imposing Covid travel restrictions on Spain.
In a message sent to Nicola Sturgeon and other Scottish Cabinet ministers, he wrote: “They won’t forget; there is a real possibility they will never approve EU membership for an independent Scotland as a result.’
Concern has also been expressed about the conduct of Professor Jason Leitch, Scotland’s national clinical director, after the inquiry were shown WhatsApp messages in which he attacked opposition MSPs.
In a talk with Humza Yousaf shortly after the May 2021 Holyrood election, he accused a Conservative MSP of being “rude” and “harrumphing like a child” and described a Labour MSP as a “smartarse”.
Prof Leitch also passed on to Mr Yousaf the details of a conversation he had had with Anas Sarwar in which he said the Scottish Labour leader complained about two of his new MSPs.
Donald Cameron, the Scottish Tories’ shadow external affairs secretary, said: “I have today written to Scotland’s most senior civil servant, the permanent secretary, urging him to launch an investigation into the politicisation of an office which is duty-bound to be completely impartial.
“Much of the evidence at the UK Covid Inquiry points to an alarming and unacceptable politicisation of Scottish civil servants working for the SNP Government.”
‘Nakedly political’
He said Mr Wightman’s email “can’t be construed as anything other than being nakedly political”, adding: “Civil servants have a duty to be politically neutral yet it’s clear that many are, or were, acting in the SNP’s political interests.”
Mr Cameron argued the risk of civil servants “going native” was heightened thanks to them being deployed in writing a new independence prospectus for Mr Yousaf.
The day after Mr Wightman sent his email, the Scottish Government lifted travel restrictions on Spain, only to reinstate them five days later alongside the rest of the UK.
Mr Yousaf, who took the decisions when justice secretary, has insisted they were based on epidemiological evidence and not political considerations.
During a visit to Glenkinchie distillery in East Lothian on Friday, Mr Sarwar was asked about his conversation with Prof Leitch in May 2021 and the national clinical director’s subsequent messages to Mr Yousaf.
The Scottish Labour leader admitted some of his new MSPs had found Covid protection measures difficult on their introduction to Holyrood.
‘Cosying up’
“I think what is a more important issue is how the national clinical director was actually cosying up, beyond his role as an official and getting into the politics,” he said.
“I don’t think in those senior positions people should be overreaching, I think they should be getting on with their job.”
Mr Marks has previously been urged to investigate messages shown to the inquiry from Ken Thomson, the former director general for strategy and external affairs, in which he urged colleagues to delete their WhatsApp messages.
‘Plausible deniability is my middle name’
Mr Thomson warned them that their conversations could be made public under Freedom of Information laws if not deleted and remarked: “Plausible deniability is my middle name.”
A Scottish government spokesman said: “Throughout the pandemic, the prime focus and intention of ministers, clinicians and officials across the Scottish Government was to protect the people of Scotland from the harms of Covid 19. The permanent secretary will respond to the letter received in due course.”
