THE SNP MSP who replaced the disgraced former finance secretary Derek Mackay has failed to mention him in her maiden speech despite working for him for years.
Natalie Don thanked her family, campaign team and the voters of Renfrewshire North and West when she gave her first speech at Holyrood today.
However, despite the tradition of MSPs paying tribute to, or at least acknowledging, their predecessors, Ms Don made no mention of the constituency’s previous holder.
Mr Mackay quit as finance secretary on the eve of the February 2020 budget after it emerged he had been pestering a 16-year-old schoolboy with sleazy texts.
READ MORE: Derek Mackay set for share of £2.2m in MSP golden goodbyes
He was never seen at Holyrood again, although he remained an Independent MSP, drawing a £64,470-a-year salary and received golden goodbyes of more than £65,000.
Ms Don, who is also a Renfrewshire councillor, was on maternity leave when the scandal broke.
However her employment as Mr Mackay's "constituency assistant" was not removed from her council register of interests until January this year.
Her silence contrasted with the generous words of her SNP colleague Jackie Dunbar, who last week praised her disgraced predecessor in her first speech.
Ms Dunbar, the new MSP for Aberdeen Donside, said: “I also pay tribute to Mark McDonald for all his tremendous work during his time as member for Aberdeen Donside.
“He most certainly did a fantastic job of representing his constituents, and I wish him all the best for the future.”
Mr McDonald resigned as children’s ministers over sleazy texts in late 2017, and sat in Holyrood as an Independent for the rest of the parliamentary term.
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