MICHAEL Matheson is unlikely to pass vetting to become an SNP Holyrood candidate despite putting a bid forward, a source has claimed.
There have been reports the former health secretary has submitted an application for vetting.
But a senior party source has told The National they would "eat their shoe" if he ended up passing vetting, insisting that him becoming a candidate is "just not going to happen".
They called on the SNP to urge Matheson to "step aside".
Matheson quit the Government in February after racking up an £11,000 roaming bill on a parliamentary iPad while on holiday with his family in Morocco. After initially expensing the bill, he repaid it in full following a public outcry.
He was then ejected from the Parliament for 27 sitting days and saw his pay docked for 54 days.
The source added there were others who were interested in running for the Falkirk West seat so they would expect Matheson to face a contest if he did pass vetting.
“In terms of my understanding and having spoken to a few folks, it seems there are quite a few candidates outwith the Falkirk area that are interested in the seat and so it looks like there will be some sort of contest there,” they told The National.
“I would eat my own shoe if Michael passed vetting.
“If the SNP wants to treat the electorate with total disdain, then it will ask Michael Matheson to be a candidate. If the SNP wants to show the electorate that it has learned from its mistakes then it will ask him to step aside.
"I don't think he will stand. His papers may or may not be in but for several reasons, my understanding is it's just not going to happen."
Matheson eventually admitted his teenage sons used his iPad to watch football despite previously telling reporters there was no personal use of the tablet.
It comes after SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn (above) revealed he had applied to be a candidate for Holyrood, adding he would not resign his seat as an MP if he became an MSP.
Arbroath and Broughty Ferry MP Stephen Gethins has also said he has put forward an application to be an SNP candidate.
He told The Courier that while there were no vacancies in Dundee he had submitted his vetting papers for consideration.
The moves by Flynn and Gethins come despite a rule brought in by the SNP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) ahead of the 2021 Holyrood elections which said that any MP wishing to become an MSP would have to resign their Westminster seat first. That rule saw Neil Gray resign as an MP, and Joanna Cherry decide not to run for Holyrood.
However, it is understood that the rule was “election specific” and would have to be reinstated to take effect in 2026.
The SNP have been approached for comment regarding Matheson’s application.
