Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) ministers face accusations of a cover-up and deceit regarding the abandoned £2.1 billion Monklands replacement hospital project. Official advice from NHS experts, stating the project was too expensive and should be scrapped, was received by the Scottish government two months prior to the May Holyrood election. However, the decision to abandon the project was not disclosed to the public during the election campaign, during which ministers continued to promote its progress.
The public was informed of the project's cancellation on June 25, when Health Secretary Angela Constance announced the decision just 20 minutes before the Scottish Parliament recessed for the summer.
Interim Scottish Labour leader Jackie Baillie stated that it is evident the SNP was aware of the project's cost issues and had been advised to halt it before the election but chose to withhold this information from voters. Baillie further alleged that former Health Secretary Neil Gray had promised constituents the new hospital while knowing it was unlikely to proceed, and called for his resignation.
Bombshell documents acquired by the Scottish Mail on Sunday indicate that former health secretary Neil Gray, along with drugs minister Maree Todd and public health minister Jenni Minto, were informed in March that NHS experts would not recommend moving forward with the construction of the Monklands Replacement Project. Despite this, Gray, whose Airdrie constituency includes Monklands, reportedly received project updates in January, February, and March. Although he had recused himself from direct involvement due to the constituency link, he requested that Todd also receive these updates as he could not "comment or intervene."
The halted project has already incurred costs of £225 million. This figure is four times the estimated £48 million that would be required to address existing issues at the current Monklands hospital. By early March, the Scottish Government was alerted to escalating costs, with delays adding approximately £4 million to the bill each month, alongside "key issues" needing resolution before construction could commence.
An investigation by the Scottish Mail on Sunday revealed that NHS Assure, a body that supports major NHS construction projects, was asked by the Scottish Government in January to conduct a cost review of the Monklands replacement. NHS Assure submitted its initial findings in early March, estimating a cost of at least £2.1 billion and identifying several unresolved issues. The report noted that no agreed program existed, and each month of delay would add further inflationary costs. Based on the reviewed evidence, NHS Scotland Assure advised against proceeding immediately to construction.
On March 5, a senior civil servant in the health department sent a high-level assessment of the update to Todd and Gray. The final version of NHS Assure's findings was formally submitted to the government on March 20. Public health minister Jenni Minto was also briefed by officials before the parliamentary recess on March 26.
During his Holyrood election campaign, Gray utilized the Monklands plans, which the public still believed were active, as a significant campaign point. His leaflets reportedly stated, "If you want to see…Continued development of the new Monklands hospital…. It has to be both votes SNP." He also visited the proposed hospital site with John Swinney, promoting the project in an Instagram video.
Scottish Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher criticized the revelations, stating they would be met with anger from patients in Lanarkshire and accused Swinney and Gray of lying to voters.
The Scottish Government maintains it is "fully committed" to building a replacement for Monklands hospital. Responding to questions about the timing of the announcement and ministerial knowledge, a government spokesperson said that projects of this scale require thorough consideration and internal governance processes. They added that in March, the project was undergoing internal assessments, and the business case was not ready for a decision before the pre-election period. Following the formation of the new government, ministers reviewed the full business case and informed Parliament of the decision to reset the project to establish an affordable and credible path forward for the new Monklands Hospital.