Swinney Defends Flynn Over Ferry Gas Leak Briefing Row as Critics Demand Ministerial Code Probe

First Minister John Swinney has publicly defended his transport secretary, Stephen Flynn, amid a deepening controversy over whether the minister was properly informed about a dangerous gas leak aboard a state-owned ferry before appearing before a parliamentary committee.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg programme, scheduled for broadcast on Sunday, Swinney said correspondence released through freedom of information requests demonstrated that Flynn had not received a briefing ahead of the Holyrood transport committee session last month. The first minister expressed full confidence in his cabinet secretary, describing him as someone who had acknowledged a failure to stay informed and had taken immediate steps to address it.

The dispute centres on events surrounding a committee appearance on 9 September, when Flynn told MSPs he was unaware of a BBC Scotland News investigation published online more than nine hours earlier. That report revealed how a faulty valve allowed approximately 700 kilograms of flammable methane gas to escape from the side of the MV Glen Sannox while the vessel was carrying passengers between Arran and Troon in June 2025.

Swinney's intervention came as he sought to draw a line under the escalating political row. He told the programme that Flynn "recognised that he should have been across an issue to be in front of the transport committee and he remedied that right away," adding that nobody is perfect or infallible. The first minister's remarks were intended to signal solidarity with his embattled transport secretary while acknowledging that mistakes had been made.

Flynn has insisted that media reports suggesting he received a briefing before his committee appearance are false. In a post on the social media platform X, he wrote that the freedom of information documents confirmed he had not been briefed, stating that he should have seen the BBC news coverage that morning. He added that had he known about the story, he would have given a far better answer than the one he provided at the time, describing his response as unacceptable and expressing frustration at his own performance.

Documents obtained through freedom of information legislation and published by the Scottish Sun and The Times on Thursday evening revealed that Flynn's office was contacted about the BBC story twice in the half-hour period before the committee meeting commenced. Despite these communications, the briefing material was not shared directly with the minister, according to Transport Scotland.

The agency said the released documents made clear that Flynn had not been briefed on the issue before his appearance and that emails sent to his office had not been forwarded to him. However, the director of ferries at Transport Scotland, Chris Wilcock, who accompanied Flynn at the committee, was aware of the BBC investigation. One document obtained by the Scottish Sun showed that Wilcock emailed other Transport Scotland officials at 08:13, more than an hour before the meeting began, requesting "lines on the BBC story last night about the gas escape."

The Scottish Sun's report concentrated on emails sent by Flynn's office at 17:04 on 9 September, several hours after his committee appearance concluded. The newspaper argued these communications were evidence of attempts to cover up the minister's lack of preparedness. One email, seen by BBC Scotland, stated that an attached statement had been cleared by Flynn, quoting him as saying he had not been briefed on the incident but that details had been shared with the former cabinet secretary for transport on 30 June 2025, in line with agreed procedures.

Willie Rennie, the convener of the transport committee, told BBC Scotland that Flynn was only making matters worse for himself following the publication of that email. He described the situation as alarming and accused the minister of attempting a cover-up that dragged in officials and Transport Scotland. Rennie added that had Flynn listened to the morning news before the committee session, he would not have been surprised by questions about the leaking of flammable gas on the Glen Sannox.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay demanded that Flynn refer himself to the independent advisers on the ministerial code. He said the transport secretary should have admitted he had simply failed to do his job properly, but instead the bombshell new evidence suggested he had conspired with officials to execute what Findlay characterised as a sleekit, skin-saving cover-up. The Conservative leader's intervention raises the prospect of a formal investigation into whether Flynn breached ministerial standards.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson responded to the criticism by pointing to the timestamp on the email, noting that a draft media statement was sent to Flynn's office shortly before he arrived at the committee and was not shared with him. The spokesperson also argued that a high-level media statement does not constitute a full briefing on a complex and developing story.

The controversy has raised broader questions about the flow of information within government and the preparedness of ministers appearing before parliamentary committees. The fact that Transport Scotland officials were aware of the BBC investigation while the responsible minister was not has prompted concerns about internal communication failures and the adequacy of briefing processes.

The gas leak itself remains a significant safety concern. The MV Glen Sannox, a dual-fuel ferry capable of running on liquefied natural gas, experienced an uncontrolled release of flammable methane while in passenger service. The incident has focused attention on the safety record of Scotland's publicly owned ferry operator, CalMac, and the wider procurement and construction saga surrounding the Glen Sannox and its sister vessel, which have been plagued by delays and cost overruns.

Opposition parties are expected to continue pressing the first minister on the matter in the coming days, with calls growing for greater transparency about what Flynn knew and when. The release of the freedom of information documents has intensified scrutiny of the Scottish government's handling of the affair, and the first minister's decision to publicly back his transport secretary suggests the administration is determined to weather the storm rather than sacrifice a senior minister.

For now, Swinney's public expression of confidence in Flynn appears designed to stabilise the political situation and prevent further damage. However, with the transport committee convener and opposition leaders demanding accountability, and with the ministerial code now in play, the row over the Glen Sannox gas leak and the briefing that never reached the transport secretary looks set to continue dominating Scottish political debate.