Nicola Sturgeon is facing claims she misled parliament after tycoon Jim McColl insisted she made the decision to overrule advice from officials and approve the botched contract for two CalMac ferries.
The first minister is being urged to give an urgent statement to Holyrood in the wake of fresh revelations about the project, which has been hit with huge delays and overspends.
Ms Sturgeon told MSPs on Thursday that former Transport Minister Derek Mackay signed off the contract, although she stressed the “buck stops with me”.
The Audit Scotland watchdog said in a highly critical report last week that it could not establish why ministers dropped a requirement for full repayment guarantees if Mr McColl’s Ferguson yard failed to build the ships on time or went bust.
Mr McColl has now told The Sunday Times that he had made it clear to the government, and Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), that he could not provide the mandatory refund guarantee for the contract.
CMAL, which owns CalMac ferries, was privately concerned about the risks to taxpayers and tried to block the award and restart the tendering process, only to be overruled by ministers.
Mr McColl said Ms Sturgeon had been closely involved.
There’s no question in my mind that the decision to ignore that, and to overrule CMAL’s advice, was made by the first minister along with Derek Mackay.” – Jim McColl
“There’s no question in my mind that the decision to ignore that, and to overrule CMAL’s advice, was made by the first minister along with Derek Mackay,” he said.
The tycoon added that ministers were in a rush so the contract could be announced at the SNP’s autumn conference in 2015.
‘Optics and timing’
Mr McColl told The Sunday Times: “The audit report has revealed we were given the contract for political purposes. Everything was about the optics and timing the announcements for political gain.”
Responding to the revelations, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the remarks suggested that Ms Sturgeon may have misled parliament when she said Mr Mackay had given the the deal the go-ahead.
“Jim McColl has made extraordinary comments that the first minister herself must answer immediately,” he said.
“It’s the least the Scottish public deserve when there are credible claims that £250 million of taxpayers’ money has been wasted for political purposes.
“It’s becoming clear why Audit Scotland couldn’t find any evidence to support the government’s decision to agree this contract against expert advice.
“The decision looks to have been made for political gain, not for the benefit of taxpayers or the island communities who desperately need these ferries.
“From what Mr McColl has said, there are serious questions for the first minister to answer.
“On Thursday, she tried to say this scandal was all Derek Mackay’s fault but there is more and more evidence that she may have misled parliament by making that claim.”
Last week, ministers were forced to announce yet another delay to the ferries.
They were supposed to be sailing in 2018 but are now scheduled for next year at the earliest, costing at least £240 million.
The Glen Sannox will be delayed by eight months and is due to be completed between March and May next year, while ‘Hull 802’ will be completed between October and December next year.
Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, SNP cabinet secretary Humza Yousaf denied that due diligence was not carried out.
“I don’t agree with his assessment. The reason why we were keen to secure the yard was to secure hundreds of jobs,” he said.
‘Clearly there are issues’
“The first minister was absolutely upfront at first minister’s questions this week. Nobody is suggesting that there are not issues.
“Clearly there are issues. Clearly there are many lessons for us to learn on this.
“And that’s why, for example, there have been parliamentary inquiries. There will be, of course, a review of the actions undertaken.
“Nobody is suggesting for a minute that there aren’t serious questions to ask.
“The first minister has said that the buck stops with her. In this government, we collectively take responsibility and nobody wants to see ferries overrun, in terms of timescale and in terms of cost.
“But do not forget that if the government did not take the action we took, then hundreds – hundreds – of jobs would have been lost.”