John Swinney is continuing Nicola Sturgeon’s legacy of SNP secrecy and it is ‘corroding public trust in Scotland’s politics’, Tory leader Russell Findlay has said.
Mr Findlay’s attack followed a rousing speech to the Scottish Conservatives conference in Edinburgh today, where he hit out at the SNP’s approach to scrutiny.
He pointed to the latest row over Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC giving First Minister Mr Swinney advance notice about charges facing his party’s former chief executive, Peter Murrell – and said it exemplified the party’s ‘corrosive culture of secrecy’.
Mr Findlay told The Scottish Mail on Sunday: ‘Their instincts are never to be open and transparent with people, they are always to conceal.
‘It’s corroding trust in Scotland’s politics and public institutions. The SNP cannot change, it’s too deeply ingrained in the way they operate.’
Mr Findlay also highlighted the looming court battle between the Scottish Government and the Information Commissioner over what he has dubbed ‘the Sturgeon files’ – documents relating to the botched investigation of former First Minister Alex Salmond, and what his successor, Ms Sturgeon, knew about it.
He said: ‘Scotland’s information watchdog is taking John Swinney’s government to court because they are refusing to release papers that clearly should be in the public domain relating to the Scottish Government’s investigation into allegations of misconduct against Alex Salmond.
‘That botched probe ultimately cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay speaks to party members at conference.
John Swinney has been accused of continuing Nicola Sturgeon's legacy of secrecy
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain came under fire for alerting the First Minister to details of Peter Murrell's court case before the public
‘The public have a right to know exactly what Nicola Sturgeon knew about the investigation and why she pressed ahead with it.’
He added: ‘What do the SNP want to hide? We see the same culture of secrecy under John Swinney, who was tipped off a month early by the Lord Advocate about the charges facing Peter Murrell.
‘He didn’t share that information with the public but the first thing he did was send it to his chief spin doctor. The whole episode smacks of corruption.’
In his speech Mr Findlay said NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde had adopted the Nationalists’ attitude of secrecy over the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital scandal.
He added: ‘Only towards the end of a £30 million public inquiry did they start telling the truth. That’s £30 million of your cash wasted on lawyers.
‘It should have been spent on frontline care if only the health board had not adopted the SNP’s culture of secrecy.’
He also pledged to give every council tax payer a ‘Conservative cashback’ boost of £200 if he was to become First Minister.
Mr Findlay said: ‘We would turn the Scottish government’s annual underspend into a taxpayer dividend. Based on last year’s underspend, this surplus would provide every household in Scotland with an estimated £200.’
