Scottish Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth has refuted claims of bullying, stating that allegations against her are "entirely baseless." She denied sending an email that reportedly named and shamed government officials she disliked.
Reports in the Scottish Sun newspaper last month alleged that Gilruth, who was promoted by John Swinney, had become difficult to work with. The reports also cited an email she had inadvertently sent to her private office that detailed staff members she was unhappy with and wished to see sacked.
During an interview with BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, Gilruth stated, "I don’t obviously recognise those reports at all and I sent no such email, as an FOI (freedom of information) which I think has been submitted by the Sun newspaper will confirm. So the story itself was entirely baseless."
She described the atmosphere within her team as "very good actually, very supportive," and added, "I don’t recognise these anonymous comments and it is very difficult for me to respond to things anonymously of course that are reported in the press that have no basis in fact."
When the story first emerged, the Scottish Government denied the existence of such an email, though it did not directly address claims that Gilruth was difficult to work with. A source cited in the report suggested her situation had worsened since her promotion.
Another insider reportedly stated that Gilruth "basically named and shamed everybody, saying they are not worthy of working for her." The report further claimed that the email was mistakenly sent to the entire department.
In his first reshuffle following the May Holyrood elections, John Swinney appointed Gilruth as his Deputy First Minister, moving her from her previous role as Education Secretary to Finance Secretary. In her new capacity, she began overseeing civil servants who had previously reported to Kate Forbes.