Humza’s meetings with foreign leaders ‘damages the UK,’ MPs told
- Scottish Secretary Alister Jack delivers damning verdict on First Ministerās unchaperoned sit-downs
Humza Yousaf has risked ādamagingā the UKās standing on the international stage by holding private talks with foreign leaders, the Scottish Secretary has said.
The First Minister is alleged to have broken strict Foreign Office rules five times during the Cop28 summit.
The rules require Foreign Office officials to be present during meetings with overseas leaders and representatives.
It comes after Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron threatened to prevent the Scottish Government from operating āmini embassiesā within UK Government premises abroad unless it sticks to the rules.
There was outrage yesterday over ādangerousā private talks about Israel between Mr Yousaf and the president of Turkey.
Not one, not two ā¦ but FIVE blatant āoffencesāĀ
Five breaches of protocol at Cop28 by Humza Yousaf, who met, clockwise from top left: Pakistanās acting PM Shehbaz Sharif; Najib Mikati, Lebanonās PM; EC president Charles Michel; Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission chief; Turkeyās president Erdogan
Alister Jack Secretary of State for ScotlandĀ said yesterday the meeting was just one of five occasions when the First Minister breached protocol during talks with world leaders at Cop28
SNP ministers also faced calls to slash their Ā£35million-a-year āinternational and European relationsā budget and to redirect the money towards devolved services instead.
At a meeting of Westminsterās Scottish Affairs Committee yesterday, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: āForeign affairs is reserved under the Scotland Act and it is important for the UK ā the United Kingdom ā to speak on the world stage with one consistent voice.
āIt is wholly unacceptable for the Scottish Government to promote foreign policies which are at odds with the United Kingdom Government. It risks causing confusion and it damages the UKās standing in the world.ā
At the weekend, Lord Cameron threatened to throw Scottish Government officials out of overseas Foreign Office premises if there are any further breaches of the agreed protocol whereby officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are notified about meetings SNP ministers have with foreign governments ā and sit in on the meetings.
His warning came after Mr Yousaf met Turkeyās Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the Cop28 summit in the United Arab Emirates without FCDO officials being present.
Mr Erdogan has branded the Westās approach to events in Gaza as ābarbarismā and accused Israel of behaving like a āwar criminalā.
The First Minister said he and Mr Erdogan discussed the āhumanitarian catastropheā and called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire ā in direct contrast to the UK position on the issue.
Mr Jack said yesterday the meeting was just one of five occasions when the First Minister breached protocol during talks with world leaders at Cop28. He said he supports Lord Cameronās stance ā100 per centā.
Although the Scottish Government said FCDO officials were invited to the talks between Mr Yousaf and the Turkish president, Mr Jack said the notice was issued at the last minute and there wasnāt enough time to get there.Ā
He told the committee chairman Pete Wishart: āBut it wasnāt the only offence. Without Foreign Office officials present, there was a meeting with [European Commission president] Ursula von der Leyen, [European Council president] Charles Michel, the prime minister of Lebanon and the acting prime minister of Pakistan.
āSo there were five different occasions where meetings happened with foreign ministers without an official [from the FCDO]. If there arenāt to be any sanctions, all the Scottish Government have to do is take Foreign Office officials to their meetings.ā
Mr Jack said he understood the UK Government only became aware of the five meetings on the First Ministerās Twitter page. Labour peer Lord Foulkes said Mr Yousafās meeting with Turkeyās president was ādangerousā and the First Minister had become his āuseful idiotā in the UK.Ā
Mr Yousaf said yesterday āthe approach from Lord Cameron is really petty and, frankly, misguidedā.
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