Former Scottish First Minister Humza Yusuf has been forced to apologize after calling a top lawyer a “Tory scumbag” in WhatsApp messages.

Humza Yusuf has issued an embarrassing apology to one of Scotland’s leading lawyers after he branded him a “shitty Tory”.

The former Prime Minister attacked the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Roddy Dunlop KC, in a private WhatsApp message during the Covid pandemic.

Yusuf, who said he was “concerned” about the language he used, phoned her yesterday to apologize after learning the comment was to be made public.

Youssef was the Health Secretary for Scotland when he wrote the message to the then national clinical director, Professor Jason Leach, at around 11pm on 31 May 2021.

On the same day, Dunlop and Professor Leitch had a minor spat on Twitter over plans for a 3,000-capacity ‘fan zone’ in Glasgow for the delayed Euro 2020 tournaments.

Dunlop accepted Youssef’s apology and said: “I find it very funny.”

Yusuf wrote: ‘Dunlop is a conservative son of a galla. Remember Twitter is not real life!’

Although private at the time, the obscene message has now been released as part of a WhatsApp conversation under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Scot reported this yesterday.

Dunlop said Yusuf called him after contacting the newspaper.

He said: ‘I know Humza well, having worked closely with him when he was Cabinet Secretary for Justice.

He called me this morning to apologize and I have no problem apologizing. I’m not offended and on the contrary, I find it very funny.’

A spokesman for Mr Yusuf said: “The Covid crisis, in particular, was a stressful, emotional and stressful time for everyone.

“This message was intended to be a private communication between two colleagues.

“Despite this, Humza Roddy Dunlop regrets the language used out of his professional and personal respect for KC.

Previously released WhatsApp messages from the Covid era appear at the time – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon calling Prime Minister Boris Johnson a ‘bloody clown’ in October 2020.

Professor Leach, who stepped down as clinical director earlier this year, privately called Labor MP Daniel Johnson a “crazy idiot” and accused Tory MP Sir Edward Mountain of “children’s despair” at a 2021 briefing for politicians.

Yusuf’s Covid-era WhatsApp messages have been controversial in the past.

Shortly after being appointed Health Secretary in 2021, he joked to Professor Leitch that he was “winging it”. And we’ll find out sooner rather than later,” followed by a laughing emoji.

He also called Labor MP Niall Findlay a ‘t***’ and ‘a*********’.

Other messages released by the Covid-19 inquiry show that then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called Prime Minister Boris Johnson a “bloody clown” in October 2020.

Professor Leach, who stepped down as clinical director earlier this year, privately called Labor MP Daniel Johnson “a smartass” and accused Tory MP Sir Edward Mountain of “child abuse” at a 2021 briefing for politicians.

Yusuf, who was forced to resign in April after just 14 months in prison, has admitted to committing a number of other crimes since leaving office.

Yusuf resigned earlier this year after sacking two Green ministers.

Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe in August, he said he was “disgusted” by how he ended the coalition government’s deal with the Scottish Greens.

His sacking of his two Green ministers ended.

More recently, he admitted that his first cabinet was disbanded, attacking former finance secretary Kate Forbes with a brief proposal on agriculture, which led to her exit from government.

Nor did she expect how ruthless Forbes’ challenger would be in the 2023 SNP leadership contest, when she first defended her TV campaign record.

Forbes suggested that it was “moderate” to be released from the country.

A spokesman for Mr Yusuf said: “The Covid crisis, in particular, was a stressful, emotional and stressful time for everyone.

“This message was intended to be a private communication between two colleagues.

“Despite this, Humza Roddy Dunlop regrets the language used out of his professional and personal respect for KC.