NICOLA Sturgeon’s top aide has deleted a controversial tweet attacking Boris Johnson after being accused of violating her code of conduct.
Chief of Staff Liz Lloyd took the action after being reported to her boss by the Scottish Tories, who claimed she was guilty of a “clear and flagrant breach”.
The Government said she had done so "of her own volition as a courtesy”.
The Tories said it was typical of the SNP to "get rid of the evidence and pretend it never happened".
On Thursday, Ms Lloyd tweeted about the Prime Minister’s visit to Scotland later that day, which the First Minister had complained was “non-essential”.
Mr Johnson visited the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and a vaccine plant in Livingstone as part of broader efforts to promote the Union amid the pandemic.
Ms Lloyd wrote on her personal Twitter account: “My family don’t live in Scotland, I’ve not been able to visit them since August (and some since 2019) because it’s important we stay at home and don’t travel.
“Yet the PM is coming to Scotland when he could see the vaccine roll out and thank the army by zoom #notessential.”
However the SNP Government’s Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, which is enforced by the First Minister, bans statements on “political controversy”, including on social media.
Section 14 states: “Special advisers must not take public part in political controversy, through any form of statement whether in speeches or letters to the press, or in books, social media, articles or leaflets.
“They must observe discretion and express comment with moderation, avoiding personal attacks, and would not normally speak in public for a Minister, or the Scottish Government.”
Other special advisers normally speak to the media on behalf of Ms Sturgeon.
Tory MSP Miles Briggs subsequently complained to the Scottish Government’s top official, Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, saying the tweet was “the opposite of the discretion and moderation required by the Code of Conduct”.
It has now emerged that Ms Lloyd has deleted her tweet, suggesting it was problematic.
READ MORE: Freeman insists 'no one is exceptional' after SNP MP Kenny MacAskill in lockdown row
Mr Briggs said in response: “It seems the First Minister's chief of staff has deleted her tweet only because the Scottish Conservatives reported her for breaching the code of conduct.
"This appears to the SNP's stock response to rule breaking - get rid of the evidence and pretend it never happened.
"While the quick action in this case could mitigate any consequences, it remains concerning when highly-paid public servants act as SNP propaganda mouthpieces.
“I hope we will now see action to prevent any future blurring of lines between taxpayer-funded advisors and the SNP.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "Mr Briggs’s letter will be properly considered and replied to in due course. The Chief of Staff removed the tweet of her own volition as a courtesy while that takes place.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel