NICOLA Sturgeon has described Boris Johnson as "corrupt" and said he should stand down as Prime Minister.
The First Minister also told Holyrood Scotland should escape the "whole corrupt Westminster system" by becoming independent.
Her comments were made in response to a question by the Scottish Greens MSP Gillian Mackay in the wake of a series of Tory sleaze scandals, including over the redecoration of his Downing Street flat, and about concerns over Covid compliance following reports over a lockdown Christmas party in Number 10 last year.
Johnson has continually denied that such an event took place but yesterday announced a probe into the matter.
At First Ministers Questions in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, Tory chief whip Stephen Kerr tried to stop Mackay from asking her question while other Tory MSPs tried to drown out MacKay as she first attempted to put it. She had to start again after the Presiding Officer called for calm.
Marking International Anti-corruption Day, Mackay, who represents Central Scotland, asked the First Minister how the Scottish Government is marking the occasion.
After Sturgeon's said that the Scottish Government strongly supports the principles underlying international anti-corruption day, as enshrined in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, Mackay then launched an attack on Johnson.
She said: "Throughout the public health crisis, the Prime Minister has repeatedly been mired in sleaze and corruption.
"Covid contracts were handed to Conservative Party donors, public sector roles and peerages were handed to political cronies, and an ethics adviser was shown the door rather than having his verdict of ministerial bullying accepted.
"Even more galling than that has been the behaviour amid revelations that the United Kingdom Government does not respect the rules that it has laid down for others. At a time of national crisis, not only did those...."
At this point Kerr interrupted. He said: "Come on. This is nothing to do with..."
But Presiding Officer urged Mackay to continue with her quesstion.
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Amid continuing Tory shouting, Mackay then asked: "Boris Johnson has jeopardised public compliance with Covid measures. Does the First Minister agree with me that it is time for this corrupt Prime Minister to go?"
The First Minister said: "Yes I do Presiding Officer. While Gillian MacKay was asking her question, I had members of the Tory group shouting at me from a sedentary position that these issues had nothing to do with us here in the Scottish Parliament.
"While I beg to differ," she said adding that the principles and the values of openness, integrity and transparency matter to "all of us who care about democracy in this country".
And she went on: "I think Boris Johnson has many questions to answer. There are more questions surfacing today round the whole Downing Street wallpaper ... but I will leave them to one side. I don't think it is simply a corrupt incumbent in Number Ten who has to go, I think it's time for Scotland to get rid of the whole broken corrupt Westminster system which is holding us back.
"And we can only do that Presiding Officer by becoming an independent country."
Earlier today the Conservative Party was fined £17,800 for failing to keep proper records over a donation to refurbish Johnson’s Downing Street flat.
An Electoral Commission investigation found that the party failed to fully report a donation of £67,801.72 from Huntswood Associates Limited in October 2020, including £52,801.72 connected to the costs of refurbishment to 11 Downing Street – where the Prime Minister lives.
Crucially, it found that Johnson knew who was providing the funding – despite the Tory leader having previously insisted to his ethics adviser that he did not know.
The revelation sparked further calls from the SNP for Johnson to stand down.
This morning Downing Street denied that Johnson lied to ministerial standards adviser Lord Geidt over knowledge that a Tory peer was behind donations for his Downing Street flat.
Asked if the Prime Minister lied to the adviser and the public, Johnson’s official spokesman replied: “No.”
He said that Lord Geidt remained in the role and that Johnson continues to have full confidence in him.
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