FIRST Minister Humza Yousaf has defended his decision to speak to controversial bus tycoon Brian Souter and insisted that “nobody” in the SNP has asked him for a donation.
Yousaf recently had an “upfront and honest” conversation with the businessman, who once funded a nationwide campaign to keep Section 28 on the statute in Scotland.
The policy prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality” by local authorities and prevented teachers from discussing sexuality or LGBT+ rights at school.
However, Yousaf said discussions with Souter relating to the arrangement of a dinner at a five-star hotel in Edinburgh were part of a bid to reset his government’s relationship with the business community.
Scottish Green minister Patrick Harvie said it needed to be made “very explicit” that the Scottish Government did not share Souter’s views on social issues.
Speaking to ITV Border, the First Minister emphasised that meeting with Souter (below) did not change his stance on progressive issues.
“People know where I stand on social, progressive values [and the] government I lead, where we stand on social, progressive values," he said.
“And, just to be clear, by the way, nobody has asked Brian Souter for a donation. He has not offered a donation to the SNP.
“This was a business dinner with other entrepreneurs from right across Scotland, giving me advice, giving me their thoughts on where they thought the government was in relation to its business engagement [and] what we had to do to improve that business engagement.
“I’m not going to stop engaging with entrepreneurs, with businessmen and women across Scotland even if they disagree with my politics, even if they disagree with my constitutional position [or] even if they disagree with my social values.”
Once a large donor to the SNP, Souter’s relationship with the party cooled during Nicola Sturgeon’s tenure as party leader.
Souter founded the Stagecoach Group along with his sister Ann Gloag.
Together, they have frequently been listed as being among the richest people in Scotland.
