Kate Forbes: Ex-yard owner Jim McColl is trying to shift blame for ferry delays

The Finance Secretary has accused former Ferguson Marine owner Jim McColl of “shifting the blame” for construction problems at the shipyard during his tenure.

Kate Forbes hit back after Mr McColl told the BBC that the Scottish Government was conducting a “fabulous propaganda exercise”.

The dispute was aired in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday as opposition MSPs asked her to respond to the businessman’s claims that procurement of two long-overdue ferries was rushed “for political purposes”.

An Audit Scotland report highlighted a “multitude of failings” and said Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (Cmal), the Government-owned company which owns ferries and ports, had concerns about the lack of a refund guarantee.

Ms Forbes said it was “entirely wrong” to suggest the contract award for the ferries was rushed for political purposes.

She told MSPs: “Contrary to what Jim McColl said this morning on the BBC, it was the chief executive of Cmal and Jim McColl himself who signed the contract.

“This is a man with a clear interest in shifting the blame on others when the root cause ultimately to the delays of these important vessels was the construction under FMEL (Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited).”

Mr McColl bought the shipyard out of administration in 2014, though it was nationalised at the end of 2018.

Ms Forbes said the procurement process was undertaken “in good faith following appropriate due diligence”.

She continued: “When concerns were raised, mitigations were put in place, that is all very well documented in the Audit Scotland report.”

Scottish Labour MSP, Neil Bibby, said: “I think it’s evident that only the First Minister can clear up the questions about what went wrong here and who was involved and when.

“We need honesty and openness about this.”

Tory MSP, Graham Simpson, asked: “We need some straight answers to straight questions here, was it Keith Brown who approved the contracts for the ferries?

“Why was the advice from Cmal not to go ahead ignored?”

Ms Forbes said ministers abided by collective responsibility.

She said no concerns were raised when FMEL was announced as the preferred bidder for the ferries in August 2015, but concerns around the lack of a refund guarantee emerged later.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr McColl spoke to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme.

He said the shipyard in Port Glasgow would not have taken on the work if it knew of the objections from Cmal.

The businessman said: “There’s been a fabulous propaganda exercise carried out by the Government to try and put the blame of this on to the previous management at Ferguson’s.

“Ferguson’s had absolutely top class management that did a great job, and that’s why I’m speaking out to support them because they are being, I think, unfairly criticised.

“And again, I think this is clearly for political purposes – to put the blame on to them rather than the Government accepting responsibility.”

Mr McColl, owner of Clyde Blowers Capital, sat on the SNP Scottish Government’s Council of Economic Advisers until the body was replaced in July 2021.