Minister admits he was 'in the queue' for Oasis tickets during conference meeting

Scotland's health secretary has admitted he was "in the queue" for Oasis tickets while chairing a panel on Alzheimer's disease - despite earlier branding a report "total nonsense".

MSP Neil Gray previously claimed he "wasn't trying to buy tickets in the meeting" but has now revealed he was queuing up online.

In a bid to explain his earlier denial, Mr Gray said his phone remained in his pocket and insisted he was "fully focused" on hearing and chairing the discussion on Saturday at the SNP conference in Edinburgh.

In an interview with LBC News Scotland, he said: "I was in the queue, and anybody that understands how being in a queue for tickets works, it wasn't something that was fast-moving.

"So, my phone was in my pocket, there was progress getting made in this queue dispersing. I didn't actually end up getting onto Ticketmaster, such was the demand for tickets.

"But no, I was fully focused at the meeting on hearing and chairing the discussion on an inspiring area of policy development that's happening here in Scotland.

"I was fully focused on that, and both participants and the panel would be able to confirm that."

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The Sunday Mail had claimed Mr Gray looked up from his phone following a speech from the University of Glasgow's Terry Quinn on how medical advances were giving new hope in the fight against dementia, and said he was in the queue to buy Oasis tickets on "multiple devices".

He reportedly said: "Hope is very important... that I get these tickets."

Then, referring to one of the band's songs, he is said to have added he was "Half The World Away".

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Mr Gray, the MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, eventually took to X on Sunday evening to refute the claims.

He posted: "Just to confirm this is total nonsense. In intros to a fringe session I was chairing another panellist jokingly referred to Oasis tickets.

"I said like so many I was in the queue, but felt Half The World Away from getting any. People laughed and we went into the serious business.

"I wasn't trying to buy tickets in the meeting. I was fully focused on chairing and contributing to what was an inspiring session on brain health research and how Scotland, by the experts' own words, is leading the world."

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John Ferguson, the Sunday Mail's political editor, continues to stand by his story.

Posting on X, he said: "Even as Neil Gray U-turns and admits our story was true, he continues to mislead.

"He says 'my phone was in my pocket' - that is not the case.

"His phone was in his hand and he was looking at it as he told the meeting he was in the queue for Oasis tickets."

Mr Gray was appointed cabinet secretary for health and social care following the Michael Matheson scandal.

Mr Matheson stepped down amid a row over an £11,000 iPad data roaming bill.

The Falkirk West MSP had initially billed taxpayers before U-turning, claiming the device had only been used for parliamentary work during a family holiday to Morocco.

It later emerged his teenage sons had been using the work iPad as a hotspot to stream football while on the vacation.

When questioned by journalists days after he knew the truth, Mr Matheson continued to deny the iPad was used for personal use, until he made a statement to Holyrood.

He was later suspended from the Scottish parliament for breaching the MSP code of conduct.