Scottish Labour accuses Swinney of fabricating hospital inquiry evidence

John Swinney has been accused of “fabricating” a quote from a public inquiry into the fatal water-infections scandal at Glasgow’s super hospital.

On Friday, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused the First Minister of “misleading the Scottish Parliament” and urged him to “correct the record”.

The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) opened in 2015, despite concerns about its water supply.

At least four patients died from infections acquired at the QEUH campus, including ten-year-old Milly Main, who died in 2017 while being treated for leukaemia at the Royal Hospital for Children.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) officials told the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry that pressure was applied to open the hospital on time and on budget before it was ready.

John Swinney has firmly denied that the pressure came from SNP ministers.

At First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Sarwar produced a document he said showed “political pressure” to open the QEUH.

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

“The council to the inquiry said on January 23, that there is no evidence of external pressure on the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to open early or before it was ready to be opened,” Swinney told MSPs.

“Lord Brodie is considering all of the issues.”

Politics

‘Damning evidence’ of political pressure to open super-hospital

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said John Swinney had been ‘found out’

Sarwar has now written to the First Minister, accusing Swinney of “misleading the Scottish Parliament”.

His open 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.”

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 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.’’

The Government spokesperson added: “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.”