Scotland’s health secretary wasn’t impressed when a BBC editor posted a video from the Scottish parliament, in which the already-injured SNP minister trips over the wheel of his scooter. It didn’t stop the clip from going viral.
On Thursday afternoon, BBC journalist Glenn Campbell posted a video from the wood-clad halls of Holyrood – the seat of Scottish government – in which the outspoken Health Secretary Humza Yousaf can be seen speeding up a ramp on a scooter-like-contraption. The minister has been using the walking aid after having ruptured his achilles tendon while playing badminton.
With his aide running alongside him, carrying the minister’s crutches, Yousaf appears to put his pushing-leg in front of one of the scooter’s wheels, toppling the contraption and sending the health secretary flying.
Sharing the video in a tweet, Campbell wrote: “The health secretary @HumzaYousaf does not appear to be having a good day at work… .” The video has been widely shared across social media.
The health secretary @HumzaYousaf does not appear to be having a good day at work…
However, it wasn’t long before the outspoken minister hit back. A mere nine minutes later, Yousaf, who is currently presiding over one of the biggest healthcare crises in decades, took to Twitter to question the need to post the video. “If anyone else had fallen over while on crutches, a knee scooter, or in a wheelchair would your first instinct be to film it & tweet out?”
All for media scrutiny & never shy away from it. Just not sure there is need or purpose to tweet out a video of me falling over while injured. If anyone else had fallen over while on crutches, a knee scooter, or in a wheelchair would your first instinct be to film it & tweet out? https://t.co/sM7ue70CDg
He was quickly backed up by Finance Minister Kate Forbes, who claimed the video was “very uncomfortable.” “I can't see how a video of an injured man falling, presumably in some pain, is in the public interest,” she added.
ITV journalist Peter Smith highlighted the tragic irony of the situation. “Scotland’s Health Sec has been hammered on ambulance waiting times, ScotGov preparing to call in British military for assistance, and now this,” he wrote, adding that he understood Yousaf was okay and had returned to the chamber.
Several Britons weren’t too impressed by Yousaf’s hasty reaction. One person shared an old tweet Yousuf had written in which the health secretary mocked Tory MP Douglas Ross for “decking it.”
— ᑕᗩᗰᑭᗷᗴᒪᒪ ᗩᑎᗪᗴᖇᔕᗝᑎ???????? ???????????????????????????? (@scotsladlol) September 16, 2021
Another social media user told the health secretary that he shouldn’t be running while using a “walking aid.” In a tweet, they shared a user guide for the scooter that states, “Pushing yourself to go too fast could result in the scooter tipping.”
This is an aid for ‘walking’ we have a person in charge of a £15bn portfolio who hasn’t read the instructions. pic.twitter.com/cVceKHrL1P
Yousaf has become somewhat of a marmite-like figure in British politics, with many in the Scottish National Party praising the outspoken minister. But outside the independence movement, he has fewer fans. A recent personal move to sue a nursery school which allegedly rejected his daughter’s application because of her Muslim name garnered a mixed reception.
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