POLITICAL commentator John Rentoul has apologised to the First Minister after claiming reports England had denied Scotland personal protective equipment (PPE) was untrue.
Yesterday we reported how at least one supplier of PPE said it had been told not to send its stocks to care providers in Wales and Scotland.
After the story was picked up in multiple publications Scotland’s national clinical director Jason Leitch claimed it was “rubbish” – and Chancellor Rishi Sunak followed suit later in the day.
But the suppliers involved reiterated their statements, with Gompels writing on its website: “These restrictions are not something we have decided, they are a criteria given to us by Public Health England.
READ MORE: PPE firm says Public Health England said to prioritise England
“We have been told that there are alternative arrangements in place for Wales and Scotland, but we have not been able to find out what they are.
“The criteria was given to us by Public Health England @PHE_uk. Please don’t think we’re discriminating against our lovely, loyal Welsh/Scottish customers.”
The BBC also said it had evidence other companies had been told not to sell to care homes in Scotland and Wales.
Yesterday Rentoul had tweeted: “Can’t believe St Nicola would have exploited that untrue ‘English nicked our PPE’ story for political advantage.”
I have deleted a tweet from yesterday which said the claim that England denied Scotland PPE was untrue. After the Scottish govt’s clinical director said it was “rubbish”, some evidence emerged that suppliers were saying it
— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) April 15, 2020
Today he back-tracked, accepting there was evidence suppliers had been making the claims.
He wrote: “I have deleted a tweet from yesterday which said the claim that England denied Scotland PPE was untrue. After the Scottish govt’s clinical director said it was ‘rubbish’, some evidence emerged that suppliers were saying it.
“NHS England and PHE have denied instructing suppliers and Sturgeon has accepted those assurances, but I was wrong to accuse her of seeking political advantage, for which I apologise.”
Scotland is in lockdown. Shops are closing and newspaper sales are falling fast. It’s no exaggeration to say that the future of The National is at stake. Please consider supporting us through this with a digital subscription from just £2 for 2 months by following this link: www.thenational.scot/subscribe. Thanks – and stay safe.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel