John Swinney has escalated his war of words with Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, suggesting the Labour MP could be 'reshuffled out of existence' after the general election. The First Minister made the comment during a campaign visit in Glasgow on Saturday, continuing a dispute that began over US tariffs on Scotch whisky.
The pair clashed this week after President Donald Trump scrapped a 10% tariff on Scotch whisky following a visit by the King. Mr Alexander, who is also Scottish Labour’s election campaign co-chairman, accused Mr Swinney of lying about his role in securing the deal. Mr Swinney countered that the Scotland Office boss was responsible for a decline in relations between the Scottish and UK governments.
Speaking to the Press Association, Mr Swinney said he had not spoken to Mr Alexander since the announcement and would wait until after the election. 'I saw him on Thursday night at a dinner and we had a really pleasant conversation. Then, later on that night, he was absolutely using language I think is unworthy of a Secretary of State for Scotland,' the First Minister said. 'I think we’ll maybe let the election campaign pass, let him relax a little bit, because he’s obviously a bit agitated, and we’ll see where things stand. He, of course, might be reshuffled out of existence by the weekend.'
Mr Swinney has insisted that a meeting he had with President Trump last summer put the whisky tariff issue on the president's radar, a claim supported by a note from Mr Trump offering 'congratulations' and stating the First Minister was 'a very big part of my thinking'. However, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar credited the King and Scottish businesses for the deal, saying Mr Swinney was 'over-egging' his involvement.
A spokesperson for Mr Alexander said: 'The First Minister is of course at liberty to visit other countries and promote Scottish exports, but for him to claim that “this issue got put on the agenda because I put it there” is simply not true. The British Government was raising the whisky issue long before and long after his DC visit.'
