DOUGLAS Ross has called on the First Minister to launch a leak inquiry after media reports suggested the Justice Secretary was safe in her role before the findings of an official probe were published.
On Tuesday, independent advisers ruled that Angela Constance had “unintentionally” breached the ministerial code twice in relation to a row over comments made by a child sexual abuse expert.
One breach related to misleading the Scottish Parliament by misquoting expert Professor Alexis Jay on the issue of grooming gangs. The second referred to a phone call between Constance and Jay, where no official was present.
Following the publication of the probe, Constance gave a statement in the Holyrood chamber, where she apologised to MSPs and the Presiding Officer for the breach and said she accepted “fully” the report and sanctions.
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At the end of the ministerial statement, Ross raised a point of order in relation to a story published in the Daily Record shortly before the report from the advisers was sent to the wider press.
It referred to a “senior SNP source” who said Constance would not be resigning from her role as Justice Secretary.
Ross said: “Earlier today, sources to a newspaper stated that Angela Constance would not be resigning or sacked as Justice Secretary.
“Those sources made those comments to the newspaper before any MSPs in this chamber, certainly opposition MSPs, had seen the independent advisers' official report.
“Their view that the Cabinet Secretary had breached the code twice, but would not have to resign or be sacked as a result – that suggests that party political sources within the nationalist governing party had access to the independent advisers report before others and briefed it out.
“Given your respect for this parliament and this parliament being informed first, will you request of the First Minister that he launches a leak inquiry as to how that information got into the public domain.
“Because at that point, it should only have been with the First Minister and perhaps a few in his inner circle that the findings were clearly leaked to a newspaper before Parliament.”
In response, Presiding Office Alison Johnstone said: “I have been in the chamber all afternoon, so I'm not aware of the points that Mr Ross raises, but parliament will be aware of my view that all important announcements are made to this parliament in the first instance, and that must always be the case.”
Following the ministerial statement, both Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called on Constance to resign as Justice Secretary.
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Findlay said: “This saga has all the hallmarks of John Swinney's government – cover up over candor, self preservation over integrity.
“Can Angela Constance tell parliament whether she's offered her resignation to John Swinney, and if he won't do the right thing and sack her, why won't she do the right thing and quit?”
Constance replied: “For some people, walking away is always easier than being held to account. I would much rather take the harder road of being held to account and to make amends and getting on with the job.”
Elsewhere, Sarwar told MSPs the row had dragged on for 102 days because “of Angela Constance and John Swinney's inability to do the right thing and at the right time”.
He added: “So does the Justice Secretary agree that the most important people here are actually the victims and survivors of grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation, because she has the confidence of John Swinney and she has the confidence of her party, but she has lost the confidence of the victims and survivors of grooming gangs, and on that basis, shouldn't she resign?”
Constance defended her record as Justice Secretary in response, including the removal of the not proven verdict, adding: “In an ever changing world where the threat to our children, their well being and their safety is ever evolving, I have never demerged or detracted my attention from that priority, and I never will.”
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