Kemi Badenoch has laid into John Swinney over his decision to fly business class to the World Cup, calling the taxpayer-funded trip a “jolly” rather than any kind of legitimate government business.
The Scottish First Minister travelled to the United States to watch Scotland’s women’s team compete, with the flights billed to the public purse. But Badenoch, who leads the UK Conservative Party, was having none of it, arguing the trip had nothing to do with the day job and everything to do with a free seat at a football match.
“This was a jolly,” Badenoch said bluntly, dismissing any suggestion that Swinney’s attendance served a meaningful governmental purpose. The criticism cuts to a familiar debate about how politicians spend public money, and whether turning up at a sporting event counts as diplomacy or just a decent day out on someone else’s tab.
Swinney has pushed back on the characterisation, with his office arguing the visit was part of broader engagement around Scotland’s international profile and the country’s bid-related interests. Scotland is pushing hard to be part of the UK and Ireland hosting of the men’s World Cup in 2030, and officials have suggested that having senior political figures visible at major tournaments plays a role in building those relationships.
But critics are not buying it. The optics of a First Minister sitting in business class while Scottish households continue to feel the squeeze of the cost of living crisis is a tough sell, regardless of the justification offered. Badenoch’s attack is designed to make exactly that point, framing Swinney as out of touch and careless with public funds.
The Scottish Conservatives have also piled in, questioning whether the trip represented value for money and calling for a full breakdown of the costs involved. With Holyrood already under pressure over public spending decisions, the timing is awkward for Swinney and the SNP government.
Scotland’s women’s team have been one of the genuine feel-good stories in Scottish football in recent years, building a following and competing at a higher level than many expected. Their appearance at a World Cup is a significant moment. But the debate has quickly shifted away from what the players achieved on the pitch and onto the question of who flew out to watch them, and what it cost.
For Swinney, the challenge is straightforward but uncomfortable. He needs to convince the public that the trip was worth the expense, that it was not simply a perk dressed up in the language of government business. So far, that argument has not landed cleanly.
Badenoch, meanwhile, is using the moment to sharpen her own image as someone willing to call out what she sees as political excess. Her “jolly” line is simple and sticky, the kind of phrase that tends to follow a politician around long after the original story has faded.
The row is unlikely to cause lasting damage on its own, but it adds to a growing list of questions about SNP governance and whether the party still has the discipline and focus it once had. Every story like this chips away a little, and with a Holyrood election on the horizon, the SNP can ill afford to keep handing opponents easy ammunition.