HUMZA YOUSAF has slammed Lord Cameron’s “petty and misguided” threat to withhold Scottish government overseas support.

The UK Foreign Secretary had sent a written rebuke to the Scottish First Minister after it emerged that Mr Yousaf had broken protocol by meeting a foreign head-of-state without any Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) official being present.

The incident occurred at the Cop28 climate summit — due to close tomorrow — when Mr Yousaf met with nationalist Turkish President Erdogan.

The newly appointed Lord Cameron wrote that going ahead with the meeting without and FCDO civil servant “contravenes the protocols in our guidance on FCDO support to devolved government ministers’ overseas visits.”

He said: “Any further breaches of the protocol of ministerial meetings having a FCDO official present will result in no further FCDO facilitation of meetings or logistical support.

“We will also need to consider the presence of Scottish government offices in UK government posts.”

On a visit to Dunbar, where he was to chair a crucial cabinet meeting ahead of next week’s Scottish budget, Mr Yousaf said Lord Cameron’s threat also amounted to a threat on Scottish government’s drive to attract foreign investment.

He said: “Scotland is the part of the UK, outside of London, that has attracted the most foreign direct investment for eight years in a row, that happens because the Scottish government’s international engagement is valued (and) has impact.

“To threaten to curtail that, to stop that international engagement — the international engagement from the elected Scottish government from an unelected lord — I think is misguided and petty.”

While the protocol — drafted to ensure a common UK line in foreign policy — was technically breached, Mr Yousaf argued its spirit was not.

He said: “Nothing was discussed that hadn’t been discussed at other meetings, such as the climate crisis, and, in this particular meeting, the issue of the Israel-Gaza conflict.

“For Lord Cameron to say he’s basically going to stop Scotland’s international engagement because of one meeting, where one FCDO official wasn’t able to attend — because, of course, at events like Cop, diaries can change quite last minute — is really petty, really misguided.

“I suggest to Lord Cameron that next time, if he has an issue like that, he should just pick up the phone, I’m sure it can be resolved.”

The FCDO was contacted for comment.