John Swinney ‘fabricated’ quote on pressure around QEUH opening, claims Labour

Scottish Labour has accused John Swinney of misleading Parliament following an exchange about the opening of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow.

Anas Sarwar is demanding that the First Minister corrects the record, saying he “fabricated” a quote from the counsel to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry.

During an exchange at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Mr Sarwar produced a document which he said showed there was “political pressure” to open the QEUH.

In response, Mr Swinney said the inquiry’s counsel had said there was no political pressure to open the hospital on time.

The First Minister told Holyrood on Thursday: “The counsel to the inquiry said on the 23rd of January, in the summary, there is no evidence of external pressure on NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to open the hospital early or before it was ready to be opened.

“That is what the counsel to the inquiry has said and (inquiry chairman) Lord Brodie is obviously considering all of these issues.”

Mr Sarwar has now written to the First Minister, saying Mr Swinney had “misled the Scottish Parliament”.

His letter said: “When I questioned you on the evidence submitted to the inquiry, which states plainly and unequivocally that ‘political pressure was also being felt’, you told Parliament, twice, that ‘there is no evidence of external pressure on NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to open the hospital early or before it was ready to be opened’.

“You then falsely claimed that these words were those of the counsel to the inquiry. They were not. That quote does not exist. It was invented.

“In doing so, you did not misinterpret the evidence. You fabricated it. You pre-empted the conclusions of an independent public inquiry and placed misinformation on the official record of Parliament.

“You have misled Parliament and you have lied to the people of Scotland.”

Mr Swinney spoke about the QEUH on Friday, ahead of Scottish Labour’s letter being published.

He told the Press Association: “I set out my position in Parliament yesterday on all of these questions.

“Obviously Lord Brodie is now working to conclude the inquiry that we established.

“I think it’s really important that we hear from Lord Brodie, that he has the opportunity to reflect on all of the evidence which the Scottish Government and many other interested parties have provided, and come to his own conclusions.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We established this inquiry so families can get answers to their questions and the truth they deserve.

“The document raised by Mr Sarwar is not new and had already been submitted and considered by the inquiry, alongside presumably thousands of other documents.

“At no point during First Minister’s Questions did the First Minister say that he was directly quoting the counsel. But counsel’s comments were unequivocal. The published transcript on the inquiry’s website clearly sets out the relevant evidence, including the following statement from counsel: ‘There was no evidence from the senior GGC (Greater Glasgow and Clyde) people involved in opening the hospital, from Dr Armstrong down, and Mr Calderwood, about pressure, either from them or from anyone else.’

“Counsel to the inquiry further stated: ‘We didn’t detect, in the evidence, pressure in the sense of, ‘Open it earlier than was planned.”

“Ministers have complete confidence in Lord Brodie and the independent inquiry. It is right that Lord Brodie be given the time and space to get to the truth for families without political influence, interference or speculation on the outcome of his conclusions.”