By Yinka Oketikun/ London
Just hours before he was to deliver his annual budget speech, Derek Mackay, Scotland’s finance and economy secretary, has quit his job amid reports that he sent hundreds of texts to a 16-year-old boy on social media.
The Scottish Sun reported that Derek, who had been seen as a favourite to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland’s first minister, contacted the teenager over a six month period, and told him he was ‘cute’.
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister said she was not aware of Mr Mackay’s ‘unacceptable’ behaviour until last night, and she is ‘not aware of any further allegations’ against him. She further said that Mr Mackay’s conduct was unacceptable and fell seriously below the standards required of a minister. “He has been suspended both from the Scottish National Party and as a member of the party’s parliamentary group,” the first minister stated.
She said there would be “further investigation and consideration” of Mr Mackay’s behaviour.
Mr Mackay said he had ‘behaved foolishly’ and took full responsibility for his actions. His several text messages to the schoolboy included comments on the boy’s appearance.
Mr Mackay was persistent in his unending messages to the young boy even after he told him that he was 16 and that the politician should not “try anything”.
Mr Mackay was due to deliver his budget speech in the Scottish parliament this Thursday afternoon. He apologised unreservedly to the boy and said, “serving in government has been a huge privilege and I’m sorry to have let colleagues and supporters down’.
Undoubtedly, this development will be a huge blow to the SNP and the collective Scottish government. Sympathy must also be expressed to the young boy who has received unwarranted attention together with his family.
Mr Mackay, a 42-year-old father of two who came out as gay in 2013, has been the member of the Scottish parliament for Renfrewshire North and West since 2011, and was appointed finance minister in 2016,having previously served as minister for transport and for local government