First Minister John Swinney has escalated his war of words with Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, suggesting the Labour MP could be 'reshuffled out of existence' after the election. Speaking during a campaign visit in Glasgow, Swinney said he had not spoken to Alexander since the announcement of US tariff cuts on Scotch whisky and would wait until after the election to see where things stand.
The pair clashed this week over the decision by US President Donald Trump to scrap the 10% tariff on Scotch whisky following a visit by the King. Alexander, who is also Scottish Labour's election campaign co-chairman, called Swinney's claim that he put the issue on the agenda a 'lie'. Swinney, however, pointed the finger at Alexander for a decline in the relationship between the two governments.
Swinney said he saw Alexander at a dinner on Thursday night and had a pleasant conversation, but later that night Alexander used language 'unworthy of a Secretary of State for Scotland'. The First Minister added: 'He, of course, might be reshuffled out of existence by the weekend.'
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the credit for the tariff cut goes largely to the King, as well as Scotland's businesses and workers, and suggested Swinney was 'over-egging' his involvement. A spokesperson for Alexander said the First Minister's claim that he put the issue on the agenda was 'simply not true', as the British Government had been raising the whisky issue long before his visit to Washington DC.
