Nicola Sturgeon and Derek Mackay called on to give evidence over Ferguson Marine ferry fiasco

dailyrecord.co.uk:

MSPs want shamed former SNP minister Derek Mackay to explain his role in the ferry fiasco at Ferguson Marine. The Scottish Government has faced severe criticism from opposition parties this week after auditors revealed the extent of the shambles at the Port Glasgow shipyard.

A contract for two new Caledonian MacBrayne ferries was handed to the yard in 2015 despite warnings from civil servants. It was announced this week the vessels now won't enter service until 2023 at the earliest and will cost more than double the original estimate.

Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs it was a matter of "public record" that Mackay was the transport minister at the time the contracts were signed.

The First Minister added: "Ultimately, as with any decision, whether I am personally involved with them or not, responsibility stops with me."Mackay quit politics in disgrace in 2020 and opposition parties have accused the Scottish Government of using the ex-MSP as a convenient scapegoat for failings at the shipyard.Neil Bibby, Scottish Labour transport spokesman, said: "After years of delays and millions of pounds of overruns, the public deserve answers about what went so catastrophically wrong here."Nicola Sturgeon pointed the finger at her former Transport Secretary before accepting that the buck stops with her – but both dodged scrutiny last term by refusing to appear before a Parliamentary inquiry."We cannot keep getting useless answers from clueless Ministers who take no responsibility for this mess."Nicola Sturgeon and Derek Mackay must come before the Public Audit Committee to explain their roles in this sorry affair and shed some much needed light on how we got here."We need to get to the bottom of this scandal, which has wasted millions of