Independent advisers have decided not to investigate claims that First Minister John Swinney misled the Scottish Parliament about pensions in breach of the ministerial code.
The decision followed requests for scrutiny of a remark Swinney made at First Minister’s Questions about the effect of changes to the triple lock attributed to Andy Burnham. Swinney told presiding officer Kenneth Gibson that the requests centred on his claim that Scots were going to lose their pensions.
Swinney said he had told Gibson the estimated loss was £2,000 in real terms compared with keeping the triple lock. He said the advisers had found no investigation was needed and that he considered the matter closed.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay had accused Swinney of misleading pensioners. Findlay said he hoped the advisers would conclude that Swinney had done so and require him to correct the record. Swinney maintained that he had not breached the ministerial code.
Please note! Comments are published by readers. The opinions expressed may not reflect the position of the editorial team. NYCT is not responsible for the content of readers' opinions and asks authors to observe moral standards, not to incite national or racial hatred, and to avoid rudeness. Think before you speak. You are responsible for your words! By publishing an opinion, you agree to the rules! If this request is ignored, NYCT reserves the right to deprive the user of the ability to leave comments.