SNP ministers, MPs, and MSPs said the UK’s decision to opt-out of the EU vaccine procurement and distribution scheme was “lunacy“, “irresponsible“, “inept“, “idiotic“, and a decision made by “Brexiteer buffoons” that “will cost lives“. Given the chance to atone for the party’s embarrassing stance, yesterday MP Philippa Whitford flailed in the line of straight questioning.

Instead of showing contrition for backing the disastrous scheme like Labour’s Shadow Europe Minister Catherine West, Whitford chose to sing the virtues of it, pointing to a German poll explaining “while people are annoyed the rollout has been slow, there is still support for the EU solidarity approach“. Even EU Patron Saint Guy Verhofstat yesterday called this approach “a fiasco”…

Bizarrely, Whitford then went on to say that the UK got more vaccines by virtue of being a big country that was not in the EU scheme.

“The big countries like France Germany and the UK if we had still been there would have bought up all the vaccines which is exactly what we’ve done [outside of the EU], driven the price up and therefore other countries in Europe and beyond simply wouldn’t get access”

Making the case for Brexit and staying in the UK better than any Tory has recently…

Sturgeon allies Philippa Whitford MP and Jeane Freeman MSP have, unusually for the SNP, launched a very public spat against their colleague John Mason MSP, who on Friday Tweeted that his surgeries will remain open in his office, and is “happy to do home visits.”

OFFICE AND SURGERIES. My staff & I are keen to be as available as possible to constituents (individuals & businesses) so we’re keeping our office open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. All my surgeries will now be in my office. Mondays 2pm; Fridays 5pm. Happy to do home visits if needed

— John Mason (@JohnMasonMSP) March 20, 2020

Senior members of his own party couldn’t resist publicly condemning his anti-public health approach:

Can I suggest you should be setting an EXAMPLE! - NOT putting your staff and constituents at risk of #COVID19 #StayAtHomeSaveLives 😡🤬🤯 pic.twitter.com/9HpW6hcZNx

— Dr Philippa Whitford (@Dr_PhilippaW) March 22, 2020

John please don’t do this. Follow the clear health guidance - you are neither an exception nor exceptional. https://t.co/hOX2wAuBuk

— Jeane Freeman (@JeaneF1MSP) March 23, 2020

Over the weekend Mason, an eccentric and devoutly baptist Member of the Scottish Parliament, declared churches should remain open, writing on Facebook “Surely we should be bold, take risks, and trust in Jesus?” Guido prefers Mason’s colleagues’ preference of trusting in Professor Chris Whitty…