Derek Mackay was regarded as a future first minister until his catastrophic budget bombshell in the form of his creepy and “predatory” online conversations with a 16-year-old schoolboy.
Now his career is in ruins after it emerged that he bombarded the boy with 270 messages, allegedly telling him he was “cute” and inviting the teenager out to dinner.
Rarely have there been as many glum SNP faces at Holyrood as they contemplated the deeply unsavoury nature of the scandal.
For Nicola Sturgeon the departure of her finance secretary hours before he was due to deliver the Scottish Government’s 2020/21 Budget was a disaster.
Instead of serious analysis of tax and spending plans, jaws were being picked up from the Holyrood floor as details of Mr Mackay’s online messages to the unnamed teenager were pored over.
Astonishment over Derek Mackay’s behaviour
Before Public Finance Minister Kate Forbes gamely stepped up to the plate to deliver what should have been Mr Mackay’s budget, the astonishment over his behaviour dominated parliament.
When Ms Sturgeon appeared at First Minister’s Questions it was only a few hours after she had stormed into Mr Mackay’s Holyrood office to confront him over the revelations.
She had been alerted to the Scottish Sun’s report outlining Mr Mackay’s online interaction with the schoolboy by her spokesman at around 5.30 on Wednesday night. Shocked at its contents, she secured Mr Mackay’s resignation — a development not officially announced until the morning of Budget Day.
As news crews gathered in Holyrood’s Garden Lobby to report his departure, Ms Sturgeon made a brief statement to parliament saying Mr Mackay had been suspended by the SNP, pending an investigation by the party.
But that was not enough for the SNP’s opponents who were demanding that Mr Mackay quit parliament altogether.
How difficult is it not to reconcile Derek Mackay’s conduct with the very worst connotation?”
— Jackson Carlaw, Tory leader
At First Minister’s Questions, Tory leader Jackson Carlaw sought assurances that this was the only example of his “unacceptable” behaviour and expressed concern about the victim’s welfare.
Quoting the NSPCC definition of grooming, Mr Carlaw asked: “How difficult is it not to reconcile Derek Mackay’s conduct with the very worst connotation?”
The Tory leader said the first minister herself had issued warnings about the dangers of the internet.
“The Parliament has taken issues of exploitation seriously,” Mr Carlaw said. “I ask the First Minister whether the reputation of Scottish politics and of the Parliament can be maintained with the full confidence of the public, or even of Mr Mackay’s constituents, if he remains a member?”
An abuse of power and nothing short of predatory”
— Richard Leonard, Labour leader
Labour leader Richard Leonard was also forthright. Mr Leonard referred to Mr Mackay’s resignation statement in which the former Finance Secretary described himself as “foolish”.
“Derek Mackay’s actions towards a schoolboy are beyond foolish,” Mr Leonard said. “They are an abuse of power and nothing short of predatory, so the matter is serious. His suspension from the Scottish National Party is welcome, but he should go as a member of the Scottish Parliament.”
Faces on the SNP benches were ashen, as Ms Sturgeon repeatedly said she did not underestimate the seriousness of Mr Mackay’s actions.
The press pursued the first minister as she left the Holyrood chamber. Asked if there should be a police investigation, the first minister said it would be wrong for her to direct officers on the matter.
Meanwhile Mr Mackay, who is line for the £12,000 pay-off that ministers get when they leave their post, was nowhere to be seen.
It was left for Ms Forbes to pick up the pieces. After just a few hours of frantic preparation, the junior finance minister handled her unexpected duties impressively.
But despite her best efforts there was no disguising that this was an underwhelming budget with little in the way of headline-grabbing initiatives. Perhaps that is because all the headlines had been grabbed by Mr Mackay.
His reckless behaviour had completely overshadowed Budget Day and made a huge addition to the long list of problems faced by the Scottish Government.
Faced with deep-rooted problems in the NHS and the education system, the last thing Nicola Sturgeon needed was having her finance secretary quit hours before his budget in the most distasteful circumstances imaginable.
