Revealed: SNP politician, 42, tipped to be Scotland’s next First Minister ‘told boy, 16, he was cute as he sent him 270 text messages (and asked him to keep them ‘between us’)’
- Finance Secretary Derek Mackay messaged boy on Facebook and Instagram
- His mother called for Nicola Sturgeon to sack him amid calls for police probe
- Father-of-two MSP asked him to a dinner and said he was ‘really cute’
An MSP tipped to be the next First Minister of Scotland told a teenage schoolboy he was ‘cute’ and invited him to dinner after bombarding him with text messages, it has been claimed.
Finance Secretary Derek Mackay, 42, allegedly contacted the boy, 16, out of the blue on Facebook and Instagram.
They exchanged 270 messages for around six months before the teenager stopped replying.
The father-of-two cabinet minister asked if their chats were ‘between us’ before inviting him to a rugby event and telling him he liked his haircut, reports The Scottish Sun.
The boy’s mother, 37, has called for Nicola Sturgeon to sack the MSP for Renfrewshire North and West telling the newspaper: ‘A man like that is not supposed to say these sort of things to a boy.’
Scottish finance Secretary Derek Mackay (pictured at Holyrood in October 2019), 42, allegedly contacted the boy, 16, out of the blue on Facebook and Instagram
A mock up of text messages allegedly exchanged between Derek Mackay and a 16-year-old boy
She claims the 42-year-old, who came out as gay in 2013 when he left his wife, knew her son was 16 but continued to message him. She has also said police should investigate her claims.
The finance secretary, who is bookies’ favourite to succeed Sturgeon as Scottish First Minister, liked pictures of the youngster in sports gear and sent him messages on Christmas Day, according to The Sun.
The conversations between the pair are believed to have begun in August.
One saw Mr Mackay, who lives with his boyfriend in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, tell the boy about his sexuality, before deleting the post.
Spotting it before it disappeared, the boy said: ‘As long as you’re not trying anything I don’t mind you being gay’, to which Mr Mackay replied: ‘Perfect’.
He tried to engage the youngster in politics, asking if he was in favour of Scottish independence, but the boy said he ‘didn’t have an opinion.
The boy’s mother, 37, has called for Nicola Sturgeon (with Mr Mackay in February last year) to sack the MSP for Renfrewshire North and West
Mr Mackay then offers to take the teenager to a Scottish Rugby Union event at Holyrood that took place in January.
It was this message that caught the attention of his mother, when he said he had been offered to go to a rugby reception by a politician.
Outraged, the boy’s mother told The Sun: ‘He should be made to apologise, not just to me but to everyone else who has been let down by this. I think he should be sacked to be honest.’
Mr Mackay hit headlines in February 2019 after former MP Jim Sheridan accused him of ‘raping Scottish councils of cash’ in a social media post about the Scottish budget,
Mr Sheridan, who is now a councillor in the area where Mr Mackay lives, was previously suspended over comments he made about the Jewish community.
He was slammed by party members for using inappropriate language.
MailOnline has contacted the Scottish Parliament for comment.
She claims the 42-year-old (pictured in April last year), who came out as gay in 2013 when he left his wife, knew her son was 16 but continued to message him. She has also said police should investigate her claims