NICOLA Sturgeon described Willie Rennie as a "pathetic attention seeker" after he accused her of "lying" during a television election debate as they clashed at First Minister's Questions today.
During a particularly stormy session at Holyrood, Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh reprimanded both politicians, and reminded all MSPs to treat opponents with respect and not to make personal accusations.
READ MORE: Nine times Willie Rennie was definitely NOT a 'pathetic attention seeker'
The row broke out after the Scottish Liberal Democrats leader took up the Scottish Government's decision last Friday to close the children's ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
Rennie said the First Minister was hiding behind doctors who "did not force her to lie in that TV debate", ahead of the 2016 Holyrood election, and claimed she "broke a promise" to "keep local services".
As SNP MSPs protested over his comments, Macintosh warned Rennie to watch his language.
The First Minister responded that "all we've learned from that question is Willie Rennie is a pathetic attention seeker" before explaining that at the time of the debate there was no proposal to close the ward.
She went on to say that the decision to close the ward was "the hardest one" taken by Health Secretary Shona Robison and was taken following clinical input from nurses and specialist doctors.
The decision to close the children’s ward at the RAH dominated much of the FMQs today, with Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard and Labour MSP Neil Bibby also pressing the First Minister on the issue.
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