AFPMichael Matheson in 2021 in front of the Prime Minister’s official residence in Edinburgh
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 15:49
Scottish Health Minister Michael Matheson has resigned from his position. He was discredited because he had incurred sky-high internet costs for private use while on holiday in Morocco. These were paid by the state.
The holiday was around the turn of the year from 2022 to 2023. Almost a year later, the bill for 11,000 pounds (almost 13,000 euros) was discovered by the British newspaper The Telegraph. It concerned roaming charges for Matheson’s business iPad.
Matheson, 53, initially stated that he had indeed incurred the costs for his work. Later he attributed the high bill to problems with the SIM card and offered to pay part of the costs himself. Even after that, he insisted that the tablet had not been used for private purposes, but he decided to pay the entire bill himself.
Scottish Prime Minister Humza Yousaf, meanwhile, supported him. Ultimately, the minister admitted that his sons had used the iPad to watch football during the holidays. The bill came to £10,935.74. This has now been paid by Matheson, but his varying statements earned him a lot of criticism.
Second departure within a week
The Scottish Government has launched an investigation into the incident, but Matheson has not waited for the conclusions before resigning. He says it is better to step down from his duties now, “to ensure the case does not distract from government plans.” It is not yet known who will succeed him.
Matheson, who was minister for twelve years, is the second Scottish minister to leave this week. Drug and Alcohol Policy Minister Elena Whitham resigned from her position last Tuesday due to health reasons.
2024-02-08 14:49:11
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