A former Scottish cabinet’s “profound shock and grief” following the death of Donald Dewar 15 years ago has been revealed in newly-declassified papers.
Scotland’s inaugural first minister, now remembered as the founding father of devolution, died in hospital on October 11 2000.
He had suffered a brain haemorrhage after falling on the steps outside his official residence the previous day.
Cabinet papers released under the 15-year rule show ministers at the time met at Edinburgh’s St Andrew’s House on the day of his death.
Among those present from the Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition was then deputy first minister Jim Wallace, in the chair; Mr Dewar’s successor as first minister Henry McLeish; and future first minister Jack McConnell.
The minutes of their meeting, released by National Records of Scotland, state: “The cabinet expressed their profound shock and grief at the death of the first minister.”
They reveal how the cabinet agreed the text of a short statement to be issued to the media and used by Mr Wallace and Mr McLeish when meeting the media later.
They go on: “The cabinet noted that there were likely to be many requests to ministers for comments and reminiscences about Donald Dewar, and agreed that it should be for individual ministers to decide how to respond to such requests.”
Ministers also agreed Mr Wallace should carry out the work of the first minister until a new leader was appointed, and backed plans for parliament to be recalled later that week for tributes to be paid to Mr Dewar.
“The deputy first minister thanked his colleagues for their support,” the minutes note.
They go on: “The cabinet agreed that there should be a presumption against going ahead with pre-arranged ministerial engagements prior to the funeral of Donald Dewar, but that each minister should exercise his or her judgement.
“It was, however, important that there should be reasonable consistency of practice across ministerial portfolios in order to prevent media speculation.”
Mr Dewar led the Scottish devolution referendum campaign in 1997 which led to the setting up of the new Holyrood parliament in 1999.
After elections in May that year, the Scottish Parliament was re-convened, after an absence of more than 300 years, under the coalition government and Mr Dewar became the first first minister of Scotland.
In April 2000, he had major heart surgery and returned to work in August that year. He fell on the steps outside Bute House on October 10 following a cabinet meeting and died at the Western General in Edinburgh the next day.
His funeral service held the following week at Glasgow Cathedral was attended by many members of the Scottish and UK parliaments, as well as then prime minister Tony Blair and the Prince of Wales.
In 2002, a statue of Mr Dewar was erected in Glasgow’s Buchanan Street near the Royal Concert Hall.