THE Health Secretary has conceded that he was in fact in the queue to buy Oasis tickets during an event at the SNP conference – despite previously dismissing reports that said he was.
Neil Gray had said claims that he had been trying to buy tickets to see the 90s rockers’ reunion tour during a fringe event about how Scotland could “lead the world” on brain health research were “total nonsense”.
The SNP minister had appeared alongside leading experts including Professor Frank Gunn-Moore from the University of St Andrews and Professor Terry Quinn from the University of Glasgow when he made a joke about queueing for Oasis on his phone.
He said he felt “half the world away” from getting to see the band, a comment which was reported as him saying he had been “half the world away” from the events in the brain health research discussion.
Gray was also quoted as saying: “I’m in the queue to buy Oasis tickets [...] on multiple devices. Hope is very important [...] that I get these tickets.”
Responding to the story on social media, the Health Secretary said it was “total nonsense”, adding: “I wasn’t trying to buy tickets in the meeting. I was fully focused on chairing and contributing to what was an inspiring session on brain health research and how Scotland, by the experts’ own words, is leading the world.”
On Wednesday, however, Gray admitted to LBC that he had in fact been trying to buy the tickets.
"Like most people on Saturday, I think everybody was in a queue," he said.
"I was trying to get on to Ticketmaster all morning, but my phone was in my pocket and I made a passing joke about being 'half the world away' from being able to get any tickets."
The Sunday Mail had stood by their original story about Gray, saying they had checked with his press team before publication.
Asked about this, Gray told LBC: "I was in the queue and anybody that understands how being in a queue for tickets works, it wasn't something that was fast moving.
“So my phone was in my pocket, there was progress made in this queue dispersing.
"I didn't actually end up getting on to Ticketmaster, such was the demand for tickets.
“But no, I was fully focused at the meeting, on hearing and chairing the discussion on an inspiring area of policy development that's happening here in Scotland and I was fully focused on that and both participants and the panel would be.”
