UNDER-fire SNP minister Neil Gray was chauffeured to a star-studded film premiere – despite not having responsibility for culture, it has emerged.
The Health Secretary took a ministerial car to Cameo Picturehouse in Edinburgh on August 15 this year to attend the opening reception of the Edinburgh Film Festival.
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He was driven in a ministerial car to the cinema, where the premiere for The Outrun was taking place that evening.
Mr Gray was in attendance with his wife, Karlie, at the event, where the film’s star Saoirse Ronan walked the red carpet.
The trip – revealed in the newly updated list of ministerial engagements – piles pressure on Mr Gray over his use of chauffeur-driven cars to attend events, after coming under flak for taking limos to footy matches.
Scottish Tory deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: “There is a growing pattern of behaviour from Neil Gray. He has serious questions to answer over why he was chauffeured in the ministerial limo to and from a film premiere.
“It looks as though he likes to use his position of privilege to indulge in his favourite passions, rather than focusing on his actual job.
“The scandal smacks of another SNP cover-up and it won’t go away until he is fully upfront about why he was at certain events and if any government business actually took place.”
Mr Gray was appointed as the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in February this year, having previously been the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy from March 2023 to February 2024.
He held the post as Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development between January 2022 and March 2023.
Despite having not held responsibility for culture since leaving that role last year, the list of engagements stated that he was attending the Screen Scotland event in August this year, on the subject of “culture”.
Earlier this month, Mr Gray apologised for taking government cars to Aberdeen matches, admitting that it gave the impression he’d “acted more as a fan and less as a minister”.
Dons supporter Mr Gray made trips to four games featuring the club, which Nats bosses had claimed was for official business.
But when quizzed on the issue on Monday, Mr Gray said he will continue to go to matches, but would aim to go to a wider range of matches including different clubs.
He said: “I’ve got to get the balance right. Where set-piece football events take place at Hampden – cup semi-finals, cup finals – I think people would expect ministerial attendance at those.”
