SHAMED former finance secretary Derek Mackay has broken his silence to offer support to workers facing mass job losses.
Mr Mackay stood down as a minister in early February after it emerged he had bombarded a 16-year-old boy with messages, but remains an MSP.
He has rarely been seen in public since and has not taken part in Holyrood business.
However the MSP for Renfrewshire North and West has now resurfaced to voice concern over job losses in his constituency.
Around 700 jobs are at risk at a Rolls-Royce plant in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, as the company struggles with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
It plans to shed 9,000 staff globally.
Mr Mackay said: “This is devastating news for employees at Rolls-Royce, Inchinnan.
“I have raised the concern about job losses with the company and the Scottish Government and, clearly, the UK Government has a duty to act swiftly too.
“The Renfrewshire workforce cannot be sacrificed because of the current economic situation, when the expertise and performance of the plant is not in question.
“I urge the company and governments to work to find a resolution to save the jobs which are affected.”
His comments were reported in the local Gazette newspaper.
Mr Mackay, 42, quit as a minister after it emerged he had contacted a schoolboy on social media last August without knowing his age, then sent him persistent messages over six months.
He called the teenager “cute”, invited him to dinner and asked that their conversations be kept secret.
Mr Mackay’s behaviour came to light after the messages were published in the Scottish Sun just hours before he was due to deliver Scotland’s £40 billion Draft Budget.
Public Finance Minister Kate Forbes, who is now Finance Secretary, had to outline the tax and spending plans in his place.
Opposition parties called Mr Mackay’s conduct “predatory” and suggested it amounted to grooming.
However, police previously confirmed he will not face criminal charges, adding “there is nothing to suggest an offence has been committed”.
The SNP, which has suspended him from the party and removed the party whip at Holyrood, is holding its own internal inquiry into his conduct.
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