Scotland Office minister David Mundell has been struck in the face with a pie during a visit to St Andrews.
The MP was met by student protesters as he arrived for a Conservative Party reception at the Town Hall on Thursday.
A group of around 40 students and teaching staff, protesting against cuts to education following the coalition government’s decision to increase tuition fees south of the border, had assembled outside the hall in anticipation of Mr Mundell’s visit.
It is not known who threw the pastry, believed to have been a shop-bought key lime pie. The organised group St Andrews Against Cuts (STAND) denied any involvement.
Fife Constabulary confirmed that a missile was thrown.
A spokesman said, “Fife Constabulary can confirm that an incident took place near to Queens Gardens, St Andrews, about 4pm this afternoon where a pie was thrown.
“The person struck by the pie has declined to make any complaint and was uninjured.”
It is understood Mr Mundell, Scotland’s only Tory MP, for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, was hit shortly after he left his vehicle.
He was on his way to a reception in support of Miles Briggs, the Conservative candidate for the North East Fife seat at Holyrood.
Conservative councillor Dorothea Morrison, who was at the reception, said Mr Mundell laughed off the incident.
She admitted she was surprised the students knew about the meeting, adding, “He just took it very calmly and said he wasn’t going to press any charges. He said he didn’t feel intimidated by the students who were there.
“Students will always have the right to protest I think that’s something all political parties would stand by.”
The protesters held a banner saying, “1 Tory 2 many” and chanted slogans such as, “David Mundell, you’ve got nae pals.”
Student Patrick O’Hare from STAND said to his knowledge nobody among his group had thrown the pie.
Third-year international relations student Emma Lecavalier said, “There was enough money to give David Mundell over £175,000 in expenses among the highest for UK politicians yet when it comes to funding a fundamental human right such as education, suddenly the cash has run dry.”
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user whitneyinchicago.