Rural affairs secretary stands down

The Scottish Government’s rural secretary, Richard Lochhead, has resigned from the position after nine years.

Mr Lochhead, who was a regularly visitor to Orkney’s agricultural shows, has made the decision ahead a reshuffle of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s which takes place today.

In a letter sent to the First Minister on Tuesday he said “after nine incredible but hectic years as a cabinet secretary the time has come to change the priorities in my life.”

He said he made the decision in order to support his wife, Fiona, who is suffering from breast cancer, and to spend more time with his two young sons. He said in the letter it had been an “absolute privilege” to have held office for the past nine years He will remain as MSP for Moray.

Mr Lochhead had led successful campaigns promoting Scotland’s food and drink sectors as well as in the country’s approach to tackling climate change.

However speculation had surrounded his role in Scottish Parliament as he was also at the head of the flawed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payment delivery system which saw the Scottish Government miss it’s own deadlines for distributing payments to farmers by many months.

Mr Lochhead’s resignation also comes one day before the publication of an audit report, by Audit Scotland, into the CAP payment delivery system.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that a new cabinet secretary will be appointed later today.