Former Ferguson boss Jim McColl has claimed Scottish ministers wasted around £200million by rejecting an offer to end the impasse over two CalMac ferries.

Mr McColl revealed details of a proposal he made in 2019 to split the cost of finishing the ships, and limit the government's contribution to £50million.

Instead the shipyard was nationalised and the bill for completing the vessels has since risen by about £240million.

The government said Mr McColl's proposal breached EU state aid rules.

Mr McColl gave details of the offer, including legal advice that it was compliant with EU rules, in his latest submission to an inquiry by MSPs on Holyrood's public audit committee.

The BBC says the offer was made in the spring of 2019 when relations between Mr McColl's company Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) and government ferries agency CMAL had completely broken down.

Anxious

At the time he believed FMEL was poised to win a share of a lucrative MoD order for Type 31 frigates, and was anxious to get the troubled ferries completed so he could move on with plans to develop and expand the Port Glasgow shipyard.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has previously told the MSPs that McColl's last-ditch offer was "rigorously assessed" but could not be considered for "a range of state aid and legal procurement issues".

He has now contested that, writing: "If the government had received an independent opinion confirming it was legal, and accepted the proposal it would have saved at least £200million of taxpayers money.

"The claim by the FM that the proposal was 'rigorously assessed' needs to be probed and evidenced."

FMEL had won the £97million contract to build the ferries Glen Sannox and the still-unnamed hull 802 in 2015, just a year after Mr McColl had rescued the shipyard from administration in the weeks ahead of the 2014 independence referendum.

Ms Sturgeon said she "completely and utterly" refuted claims of political interference in the contract award, when she appeared before the audit committee earlier this month.

Five years late

The ships are still being constructed with delivery five years late and costing up to £240million more than originally agreed.

Mr McColl has claimed problems arose because of government ferries agency CMAL's poorly-developed concept design and subsequent interference in the build, and was pressing for an "independent expert determination" of the merits of his claim for extra costs.

CMAL argued it was a "design and build" contract and there was no legal basis for paying more than £97million.

After Mr McColl's last ditch offer was rejected, FMEL went into administration in August 2019 and was subsequently nationalised.

A government spokesperson said the first minister stood by her evidence.

"The Scottish Government's priorities have always been the completion of the two ferries, securing a future for the yard and its workforce, and supporting our island communities that rely on this type of vessel on a daily basis," they added.

Declined

Separately, Keith Brown - who was transport minister at the start of the ferries procurement - has declined to give further detail in his evidence to the public audit committee.

Earlier this month convener Richard Leonard expressed surprise that Mr Brown had written only a 150-word letter in reply to MSPs' questions about his role.

Mr Brown has now written back to say he believes his responses were accurate and he has nothing further to add.

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