Holyrood standards committee to announce sanction facing ex-minister Matheson

He tried to use expenses to cover a near-£11,000 data roaming bill racked up on a parliamentary iPad during a family holiday to Morocco.

Michael Matheson was found to have breached the code of conduct for MSPs (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)

A Holyrood committee is due to announce the sanction facing former health secretary Michael Matheson.

The SNP MSP was found to have breached the code of conduct for MSPs by attempting to use expenses and office costs to cover a near-£11,000 data roaming bill racked up on a parliamentary device.

Later announcing he would cover the costs himself, Mr Matheson revealed the bill had been as a result of his children using the device as a wifi hotspot to watch football during a holiday in Morocco.

The former minister initially denied there had been any inappropriate use of the device, when asked by journalists.

After months of pressure on him, Mr Matheson stood down as health secretary in February.

The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee is expected to announce his punishment on Thursday, with speculation in the Daily Record suggesting he could be banned from Holyrood for 10 days.

The longest ban dished out to MSPs by Holyrood authorities is one month, which was given to SNP MSP Mark MacDonald as a result of a probe into allegations of sexual harassment, and to four Scottish Socialist Party MSPs who were punished for a protest they held in the chamber during First Minister’s Questions.

Pressure on Mr Matheson’s position as an MSP is likely to mount if he faces a Holyrood ban, but the Scottish Parliament does not have a method of effectively sacking a member in the way Westminster does.

South of the border, a suspension of 10 sitting days is enough to spark a recall petition, which allows constituents to remove an MP if 10% sign the document.

This was most recently used in Rutherglen and Hamilton West following the breach of Covid regulations by former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier and resulted in Labour taking the seat with a massive swing.