Stephen Flynn urged to refer himself for investigation over ferry 'cover up'

Stephen Flynn has come under fire after it emerged he was sent two emails by officials about a methane gas leak on a scandal-hit ferry shortly before a committee hearing where he said he had no knowledge of the incident.

Documents released under Freedom of Information (FOI) show the Transport Secretary was given a specific line to use should questions arise.

An email about a BBC story on the leak, which occurred last year, was sent by an official at 8.48am on September 9, around 25 minutes before Mr Flynn’s appearance at Holyrood’s transport committee, followed by another at 9.04am.

Mr Flynn denied he was briefed, writing on social media: “I should’ve seen the BBC news that morning - but the FOI confirms I was not briefed.

“Jeez, if I’d known, I’d have given a damn sight better answer than I did at the time! An answer that wasn’t acceptable and nobody was more frustrated than myself about that.”

READ MORE: Stephen Flynn was briefed on ferry gas leak before disastrous committee appearance

In the first email, officials said “there is a story running at the top of the BBC Scotland website this morning”, and attached a link to the article.

The Transport Secretary was then given a suggested response if he was asked about it.

The second email updated CalMac’s official response.

However, Transport Scotland said Mr Flynn being given lines to take did not constitute a briefing, and the information was not shared with him before his appearance. A spokesman said the previous Transport Secretary had been formally briefed on the matter when it occurred.

Last month’s transport committee appearance was met with derision when Mr Flynn, in response to questioning by Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie, said he had missed the news that morning.

The former MP said he had been “FaceTiming my kids” and therefore had not had time.

He was asked by Mr Rennie, the committee convenor, whether he had been briefed on it and said: “No—unless I have missed it."

In a statement later that day, which documents show had input from a special adviser, Mr Flynn said: “I was not briefed on this incident.”

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “These emails appear to confirm that John Swinney’s transport secretary was briefed about this critical incident on a CalMac ferry.

“Stephen Flynn should have admitted that he had simply failed to do his job properly. But instead, this bombshell new evidence suggests that he conspired with officials to execute a sleekit, skin-saving cover up.

“Flynn is increasingly beginning to resemble a mini-Swinney as they share the same brazen propensity to hoodwink the paying public.

“Swinney still refuses to correct the record despite falsely telling parliament that Scots would lose their pensions. And now his apparent successor is engaging in similar grubby dishonesty.

“Flynn should do the right thing and refer himself for investigation to the independent advisers to the ministerial code.”

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A Transport Scotland spokesman previously said: “As this FOI makes clear, the Cabinet Secretary was not briefed on this issue before his appearance at the transport committee.

“As the timestamp notes, a draft media statement was sent to Mr Flynn’s office shortly before he arrived at the committee and this was not shared with him.

“A high-level media statement does not constitute formal briefing, which the Cabinet Secretary received later.

“The previous Cabinet Secretary for Transport was briefed on the issue last year, at the time of the incident.”