TWO Tory MSPs have deleted photographs showing them mountain climbing after schools were closed and restaurants and bars were ordered to close due to coronavirus.
Murdo Fraser and Liz Smith visited Ben Vorlich in Stirlingshire on March 21 – just two days before the Prime Minister announced the lockdown conditions currently imposed on the UK. Social distancing was being advised at the time, rather than enforced as we see now.
Fraser and Smith, who were joined on the trip by PR worker Sam McMillan, shared photos from the journey on Twitter.
Smith wrote: "Thanks to Murdo Fraser and Sam McMillan for a good day out on Ben Vorlich.
"Stay safe message to all those venturing out. Still very wintry conditions at high level."
The MSPs say they were following Mountain Rescue advice at the time. However, they have found themselves at the centre of a Twitter storm over the tweets.
They first resurfaced when Fraser tweeted about former chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood’s trip to her holiday home during the lockdown.
The Twitter user highlighting the images wrote: "Awkawrd Murdo, what about your good day out on Ben Vorlich with Liz on the 21st March? See the picture has been deleted."
One Twitter user deemed the journey “incredibly irresponsible”.
A Scottish Tory spokesperson claimed Smith deleted the post after advice from Mountain Rescue changed.
They added: "The walk took place days before lockdown was brought in.
"Both Murdo and Liz adhered to advice given by Mountaineering Scotland and Mountain Rescue Scotland at the time.”
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