Commenting after yesterday’s Scottish Parliament vote of no confidence in which nearly all Highlands and Islands SNP MSPs backed Lorna Slater, the minister responsible for the disastrous roll out of the Scottish Deposit Return Scheme, Highlands and Islands MSP, and Conservative Shadow Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Jamie Halcro Johnston said:
“Lorna Slater has presided over a shambolic and, ultimately, failed roll out of the Scottish Deposit Return Scheme, one which has caused real uncertainty and unnecessary costs for businesses right across the Highlands and Islands.
"Despite this, every local SNP MSP bar one chose to give their support to Lorna Slater and claim they were confident in her handling of the scheme, despite her failure to listen to business concerns, the repeated delays and eventual dropping of DRS.
"Even though they were whipped to do so, it is disappointing to see SNP MSPs chose to back a coalition colleague who has done so much damage and caused so much uncertainty. Only one, Fergus Ewing, appear to have been prepared to put their constituents first and risk the ire of the government whips.
“It is shameful that Kate Forbes, Maree Todd and others weren’t prepared to do the same. When she was challenging for the SNP leadership only months ago, Ms Forbes said the roll out of the scheme would cause “economic carnage” and had left local businesses “fearing for their future”. But yesterday she voted to give her support to the minister responsible for that roll out.
“That is a slap in the face to those local businesses which have had to spend time and money preparing for this scheme only for the SNP-Green government to drop it, a decision which will leave businesses out of pocket.
“And if, as it’s now being reported, the SNP are about to kick Mr Ewing out of the party, it’s clear Humza Yousaf is prepared to sacrifice an SNP MSP to save a Green one. What a damning example of his political weakness”.
