HUMZA YOUSAF has appointed Neil Gray as his new Health Secretary after Michael Matheson stood down over the furore over an £11,000 bill for his ministerial iPad.

Mr Gray, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, is moving from being the Minister for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy. Mairi McAllan, MSP for Clydesdale, will take on Mr Gray’s portfolio while merging parts of her existing responsibilities in the new role of Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy.

Transport once again becomes a standalone brief under Fiona Hyslop while Christina McKelvie replaces Elena Whitham as drugs and alcohol minister and Kaukab Stewart takes over Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development.

Mr Matheson, who racked up the charges on holiday, announced he was quitting the Cabinet role this morning.

Mr Matheson accumulated the charges in Morocco over Christmas 2022, later conceding it was the result of his teenage sons using the parliamentary device as a hotspot to watch football.

The First Minister, who was then health secretary, gave Mr Matheson his backing.

But following his resignation, Mr Yousaf said it is right for Mr Matheson to step aside to avoid the issue becoming a “distraction.”

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is due to release the initial findings of its probe into the spending in due course.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie said: “While I welcome the news that Michael Matheson has finally gone, the fact is the First Minister has big questions to answer over his lack of judgement.

“It’s clear that the First Minister has no plan to save our NHS and that shuffling the SNP deckchairs will make no difference – it’s time for change.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said patients “deserve better than an SNP minister who has lost their trust and could no longer focus on the day job.”