- Published
First Minister John Swinney has backed Stephen Flynn in the row over whether the transport secretary had been briefed about a gas leak on a CalMac ferry.
asserted
secretary → publish → ferry
Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg programme in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday, Swinney said emails showed Flynn had not been briefed ahead of a Holyrood committee meeting last month.
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Flynn → speak → meeting
The first minister said he had confidence in his transport secretary, who "recognised that he should have been across an issue to be in front of the transport committee and he remedied that right away".
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he → say → that
Swinney added: "Nobody's perfect, nobody's infallible".
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nobody → add → ?
Flynn was appearing before the transport committee on 9 September when he said he was not aware of a BBC Scotland News story published online more than nine hours earlier.
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he → appear → story
It revealed how a faulty valve led to 700kg of flammable methane gas being vented from the side of the ferry MV Glen Sannox while it was carrying passengers from Arran to Troon in June 2025.
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it → reveal → June
Speaking to the committee, Flynn said he had missed the report because he was facetiming his children before the meeting.
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he → speak → meeting
But a briefing document released via a freedom of information (FOI) request and published by the Scottish Sun, external and The Times, external newspapers on Thursday evening showed Flynn's office was contacted about the story twice in the half hour before the committee meeting began.
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meeting → release → hour
Flynn later appeared to be blindsided when committee members quizzed him about the story.
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members → appear → story
As Swinney backed his cabinet secretary on Friday, Flynn insisted that media reports that he had received a briefing before his committee appearance were false.
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he → back → appearance
He wrote on X: "This is not true.
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This → write → X
I should've seen the BBC news that morning - but the FOI confirms I was not briefed.
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I → see → news
"Jeez, if I'd known, I'd have given a damn sight better answer than I did at the time!
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I → know → time
Transport Scotland said the documents released this week "made clear" Flynn had "not been briefed on the issue" before his committee appearance, and the emails sent to his office had not been shared with him.
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emails → say → him
The director of ferries at Transport Scotland, Chris Wilcock - who appeared at the committee alongside Flynn - was aware of the BBC story about the gas leak.
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who → appear → leak
Another document obtained by the Sun shows that Wilcock emailed other Transport Scotland officials at 08:13 - more than an hour before the committee meeting began - asking for "lines on the BBC story last night about the gas escape".
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meeting → obtain → escape
The Sun report concentrated on emails, external sent by Flynn's office at 17:04 on 9 September, hours after his committee appearance,
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report → concentrate → appearance
The paper said they were evidence of attempts to "cover-up" the minister's lack of preparedness.
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they → say → preparedness
One email - now seen by BBC Scotland - says the attached statement had been "cleared by Mr Flynn".
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statement → see → Flynn
Quoting Flynn, it says: "I was not briefed on this incident, however details were shared with the former cabinet secretary for transport on 30 June 2025, in line with agreed processes."
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details → quote → processes
Reacting to the publication of that email, transport committee convener Willie Rennie told BBC Scotland Flynn was "only making things worse for himself".
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things → react → himself
"What is alarming is that he seems to have attempted a cover-up, dragging in officials and Transport Scotland," he said.
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he → seem → officials
"And if he had bothered to listen to the news in the morning before the committee session he would not have been surprised by my questions about the leaking of flammable gas on the Glen Sannox."
'Bombshell new evidence' - Findlay
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay demanded Flynn refer himself to the independent advisers on the ministerial code.
"Stephen Flynn should have admitted that he had simply failed to do his job properly," he said.
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he → bother → job
"But instead, this bombshell new evidence suggests that he conspired with officials to execute a sleekit, skin-saving cover-up."
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he → suggest → up
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: "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.
"
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this → say → him
A high-level media statement does not constitute formal briefing, which the cabinet secretary received later.
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secretary → constitute → which
The previous cabinet secretary for transport [Fiona Hyslop] was briefed on the issue last year, at the time of the incident."
What was in the emails?
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What → brief → emails
A "ministerial engagement briefing" issued ahead of the transport committee's meeting on 9 September showed two emails sent to Flynn at 08:48 and 09:04.
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briefing → issue → 08:48
The meeting - which marked Flynn's first appearance before the committee since becoming transport secretary in May - was scheduled to get under way at 09:15.
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which → mark → 09:15
The initial email was sent to Flynn and Transport Scotland officials.
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email → send → Flynn
It acknowledges Transport Scotland was "yet to be contacted for comment".
However, it includes a suggested comment from policy officials "if the coverage prompts any questions at committee".
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coverage → acknowledge → committee
A follow-up, sent 16 minutes later, includes a comment from CalMac and was sent to Flynn and Transport Scotland officials "for awareness".
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up → send → awareness
The transport secretary was questioned about the gas incident – which came to light after an FOI by BBC Scotland – by committee convener Rennie later that morning.
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which → question → Rennie
Flynn told Rennie he had not been given a briefing about the story though he quickly clarified "unless I've missed it".
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I → tell → it
He added: "I wasn't listening or watching the BBC this morning convener...
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I → add → BBC
I didn't see the news because I was facetiming my kids - but that is a different matter."
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that → see → kids
Flynn said "it may have been the case" that the incident "may have been conveyed" to him as part of a wider tranche of documents he was given when he took over the role from predecessor Fiona Hyslop.
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he → say → Hyslop
He later clarified that Hyslop had been told about the leak.
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Hyslop → clarify → leak
What did John Swinney say?
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Swinney → say → What
Speaking to Kuenssberg in a pre-recorded interview on Friday afternoon, Swinney said: "Obviously, Stephen Flynn recognised that he should have been across an issue to be in front of the transport committee and he remedied that right away."
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he → speak → that
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
