Scottish minister Michael Matheson quits after £11,000 iPad roaming bill scandal

scottish minister michael matheson quits after £11,000 ipad roaming bill scandal

Michael Matheson

A Scottish minister at the centre of a scandal over his £11,000 iPad bill has quit.

Michael Matheson racked up the roaming charges on a family holiday in Morocco.

He said his children had used the device to stream football.

However, he faced claims of lying to the media and the row increased pressure on Humza Yousaf’s SNP government.

He has now resigned as Scotland’s health secretary.

In November the First Minister said he was not misled by Mr Matheson, but added that the minister “should have handled the situation better”.

He also defended Mr Matheson as a “man of integrity”.

Mr Matheson initially insisted the device had used for parliamentary work during the trip the previous winter. But he later said he had recently discovered his family’s involvement but did not initially disclose the information to “protect” his children.

He said he was leaving his post so the row over the charges “does not become a distraction” to the government.

When he learned of his children’s use of the device, Mr Matheson paid back the charges, which had originally been picked up by the Scottish Parliament.

A Holyrood investigation is ongoing and Mr Matheson said he was “conscious that this process will conclude in the coming weeks”.

In a letter to Mr Yousaf, he said: “It is in the best interests of myself and the Government for me now to step down to ensure that this does not become a distraction to taking forward the Government’s agenda.”

Following increasing pressure over the issue, Mr Matheson had said he would pay the full cost himself.

He added he had been “enormously grateful” for the support Mr Yousaf gave to him and his family over the last year.

The long-serving minister has held various roles in the Scottish cabinet for almost 13 years, including the justice, net zero and public health portfolios.

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