The Scottish Tory leader has hit out at SNP leadership hopeful Humza Yousaf, accusing him of having “clapped like a seal” when Nicola Sturgeon launched a behind schedule ferry project with “painted on windows”.

The health secretary came under fire during First Minister’s Questions as Nicola Sturgeon and Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservatives leader, clashed over Mr Yousaf’s time in office.

Mr Ross said: “Eight years ago a failed SNP health secretary became first minister. Now, history looks like it’s repeating itself.

“Why, why would anybody risk Scotland’s future by giving a man with Humza Yousaf’s record more power.”

The search is currently on to find a new leader for the SNP following Ms Sturgeon’s surprise resignation announcement last week.

Mr Yousaf is in the running alongside finance secretary Kate Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan.

‘It looks like he is going to fail upwards’

Mr Ross used the clash with Ms Sturgeon to deride Mr Yousaf’s record.

“So let’s look at what Humza Yousaf has done in office,” he said. “He was a transport minister who drove without a licence. He delayed the dualling of the A9. And he clapped like a seal when Nicola Sturgeon launched a ferry with painted on windows.”

Mr Ross was referring to the first minister’s “launch” of the MV Glen Sannox in 2017, which was said to have had painted on windows at the time. The ferry is yet to be put into service.

The MSP added: “He was a justice secretary who did nothing while violent crime rose, got duped by a hoax video into calling on the police to investigate Rangers players, and damaged free speech with his hate crime act.

“And now, now Humza Yousaf is the worst health secretary since devolution, but it looks like he is going to fail upwards.

“In any other line of work Humza Yousaf would have been sacked, not promoted. Forget being SNP leader, why is he even still in government.”

Ms Sturgeon responded that Mr Ross was “sounding pretty scared” of Mr Yousaf.

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She noted that it was up to party members to choose the next first minister and said the public have continually rejected the Conservatives and have instead put their trust in her, the SNP and her government.

Ms Sturgeon added: “And I have every confidence, presiding officer, that whoever succeeds me as leader of the SNP will continue that record of success.”

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Mr Ross told the Scottish Parliament that a recent Freedom of Information request (FOI) had shown that a patient in Ayrshire waited 60 hours in A&E to be treated. Another person in Lanarkshire was kept waiting 54 hours, while a third in the Scottish Borders waited 49 hours to be seen.

The pair also clashed over an Audit Scotland report which concluded that Scotland’s key NHS recruitment targets are “unlikely to be met”.

Mr Yousaf’s NHS recovery strategy was said to have lacked “detailed actions” to allow progress to be accurately measured.

Read more:
The controversies which piled pressure on Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon’s time as Scotland’s first minister in 10 charts
The SNP leadership race’s contenders to replace Nicola Sturgeon so far

Mr Ross said the NHS was lurching “further and further into crisis” and showed Mr Yousaf “isn’t even up to the job he’s got at the moment”.

In response, Ms Sturgeon highlighted that Mr Yousaf is the only health secretary in the whole of the UK that has managed to avoid “a single day of strikes” due to a record pay offer to NHS staff.

She admitted that health services are facing “significant issues” but noted that the Audit Scotland report concluded that the pandemic was continuing to have an affect and some factors were out of the control of the Scottish government.

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Ms Sturgeon also said Scotland’s A&E departments were the best performing in the UK thanks to the “hardworking staff” across the NHS.

But Mr Ross branded the first minister’s response “shameful”.

He said that saying it was the best performing NHS in the UK would give “little comfort for people who are waiting hours and days” for treatment.

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