THE First Minister's spokesman has dismissed Tory fury over her decision to take a break at the same time as two other senior Cabinet members.
Nicola Sturgeon, who said in May that she hadn’t had a day off in a year, was on a pre-planned “few days’ break” this week.
The Sun reported the break after revealing that Health Secretary Humza Yousaf took a couple of days off work to take his step-daughter to Harry Potter Studios to mark the end of her primary-seven year.
Scottish Tory chief whip Stephen Kerr was furious with the SNP leader, as well as Yousaf and Covid Recovery Secretary John Swinney. “The top tier of the SNP government should be in Bute House getting the country back on track, not off on their summer holidays while Covid cases peak," he said.
“Scotland is the Covid capital of Europe yet the First Minister, Covid Recovery Secretary and Health Secretary are all missing in action.
“At a critical moment, there is a complete absence of leadership from the SNP government.”
The First Minister’s spokesperson said the Conservatives were “just making themselves sound ridiculous”, adding that Sturgeon had stayed “fully in charge and in frequent contact with officials” during her brief time off.
“Given the current situation, she had already modified her plans so that even though not in Edinburgh, she is continuing to chair emergency response and planning meetings,” they explained.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon reveals she hasn't had a day off in a year amidst Covid crisis
“The First Minister has been at her desk today in St Andrews House leading the fight against Covid as she has done since the start of the crisis.”
Yousaf also defended his few days off yesterday, saying he worked on every day he was “off” and adding his “most important job” is being a good father, step-father and husband.
“My family don’t see me much at all, and while they understand why, it is difficult for us all, so I won’t apologise for giving them the v limited time I do,” the minister said.
The Tory anger came as Scotland recorded several record-breaking daily Covid case totals, with the tally passing 4000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
There were also concerns over the Test and Protect contact tracing system amid the spike in cases, as Public Health Scotland showed 73.1% of cases were “closed” within 72 hours from June 28 to July 2 – the World Health Organisation target is 80%.
The Scottish Government said the Test and Protect system “continued to operate well” as cases increased, but explained it has seen “unprecedented” numbers in recent days.
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