Defeated SNP candidate hits out at party’s support for iPad minister
A DEFEATED SNP candidate has condemned his party’s defence of shamed former health secretary Michael Matheson.
Toni Giugliano, who failed to get elected as MP for Falkirk, the Westminster constituency which overlaps Mr Matheson’s, said any MSP who breaks parliament rules should be removed from office.
Represented by Nationalist MP John McNally since 2015, Falkirk became one of the SNP’s safest seats.
Last July, Mr McNally announced he was standing down and Mr Giugliano was selected to be the party’s candidate at the General Election. But anger at the scandal over Mr Matheson’s £11,000 iPad data roaming bill was cited as one of the key factors for the seat switching to Labour.
The SNP’s vote share slumped by 20.5 per cent, while Labour’s soared by 30.9 per cent.
On his official social media page, Mr Giugliano said: ‘The SNP must take time to reflect on the scale of defeat and rebuild trust with voters.
‘I don’t believe that this result is a reflection on the support for independence – voters have sent the SNP a clear message to get its house in order.
‘I agree with John Swinney that we must heal our relationship with voters – and Falkirk is the place to start.
‘An MSP found to have breached rules on parliamentary expenses must never again be protected, they must be removed from office.’
He also criticised SNP-run Falkirk council’s plans to cut school hours and close community centres, which he insisted had ‘severely damaged our campaign’.
He said: ‘It’s extraordinary that the local SNP administration failed to support my campaign and instead publicly attacked me days before the election for siding with parents.
‘They should consider their position.’
Mr Guigliano, a former SNP policy development convener, was defending a 14,948 majority in Falkirk but lost out to 24-year-old Euan Stainbank.
Labour won 43 per cent of the vote in the seat, with the SNP on 31 per cent.
In May, MSPs approved the biggest sanction ever handed out at the Scottish parliament by suspending Mr Matheson for 27 sitting days and docking his salary for 54 days.
It followed the public outrage over the £11,000 data roaming bill he had run up on his parliamentary iPad whilst enjoying a festive family holiday in Morocco.
Shortly after he became leader, Mr Swinney defended Mr Matheson and rejected calls for him to resign as an MSP – and instead condemned the parliamentary process which led to action being taken.
The sanctions were handed down following the release of a damning report by Holyrood’s ruling body which found that Mr Matheson was guilty of multiple breaches of the rules after the data from his parliamentary iPad was used by his sons to stream football matches.
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body concluded that Mr Matheson had breached two sections of the code of conduct, relating to the rule that there must be no ‘improper’ use of any payment or allowance and the failure to adhere to SPCB policies.
‘Clear message to get house in order’ ‘Multiple rule breaches ’