Neil Gray has apologised to the 840,000 Scots on NHS waiting lists, telling them: “I am sorry you have had to wait too long.” Gray’s apology comes after statistics from Public Health Scotland last month showed the number of people waiting for NHS treatment or tests has increased.

In an interview with the Record, he promised: “We are making investments which will see those waiting lists coming down.” Now 17 weeks into the job, Gray insists it is his mission to cut the lists, with almost one in five Scots waiting for a procedure,

He said: “The investments we have made mean we have got increasing capacity and increasing numbers of procedures happening and more patient appointments than before the pandemic.” Gray also revealed he owes a massive debt of gratitude to the NHS for his recovery from a serious injury.

Want to see Scotland under the SNP?