Stephen Flynn admits ‘terrible answer’ over ferry gas leak but blasts critics’ ‘faux outrage’
Stephen Flynn, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, said he gave a “terrible answer” when asked at a Holyrood committee about a flammable gas leak on a ferry. He acknowledged that he should have known about the BBC report, but accused Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie of “faux outrage” over an email he says was sent to an account he could not access.
Officials had emailed Flynn a briefing on the report before his committee appearance last month, though he says he did not see it and was FaceTiming his children. He said the leak occurred in June 2025, that then transport secretary Fiona Hyslop was briefed and told there was no threat to the public, and that problems identified have been addressed on the Glen Sannox’s sister ship, the still-incomplete Glen Rosa.
- Flynn admits his committee response about a ferry gas leak was poor.
- He says he did not see an emailed briefing before the hearing.
- He says officials judged there was no public threat from the 2025 leak.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Flynn’s admission that he gave a poor answer and should have known about the report supports the view that he has acknowledged a lapse, while his account suggests he did not see the briefing because it went to an email account he could not access. He also says officials assessed there was no public threat and that identified problems have since been addressed on the sister ship.
The case against
A minister responsible for transport can reasonably be expected to read briefings on a potentially serious safety incident before answering questions in Parliament, and an inaccessible account does not remove the need for reliable arrangements to receive important information. Critics may argue that his initial response fell short of that responsibility and that dismissing scrutiny as “faux outrage” risks deflecting from legitimate questions about oversight and accountability.