An SNP minister has shut down a Conservative MSP over a debate on Scotland's devastating drug crisis saying she is "old enough to be his mother".
Drugs Minister Angela Constance was forced to hit back at Dumfriesshire MSP Oliver Mundell when he attempted to interrupt during a discussion on the BBC's Debate Night programme.
The member for Almond Valley was discussing what can be done to fix Scotland's crisis which has seen drugs deaths rise for a number of years.
During the show on the BBC Scotland channel the panel discussed the problems with the drugs across the country after overdoses rose again in 2020.
Official figures, released in July, revealed that 1339 Scots passed away - a massive increase of five per cent on the previous year’s figures, which were already the worst in the world.
Constance was appointed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as the Drugs Policy minister in an attempt to solve the problem and it was raised during the programme last night.
Host Stephen Jardine asked the minister what the government is going to do about the drugs crisis in Scotland.
Constance said: "Point number one, we own this. I'm not in the business of denial.
"A gentlemen earlier spoke about denial I don't do head in the sand stuff, it's not my nature.
"We will be led by the evidence and one of the reasons that we now have an all government all Scotland response to the rise in drugs deaths is that there isn't one solution, they are many.
"We need all of the above. You have had many suggestions tonight, in and around investment in education and prevention, we do need to make our criminal justice system more effective, smarter, humane.
"We need to address poverty and inequality and to be blunt we need to get more of our folk to the treatment they need and we need to do that quicker."
Mundell then attempts to interrupt the minister while answering the question, she replies: "I'm old enough to be your mother, don't interrupt."
Jardine says: "I don't think that's true."
Constance replies: "I think it is. I have listened very patiently to a range of views and I've been asked very direct questions which I really want to respond to meaningfully."
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