John Swinney has accused a Glasgow MSP of prejudice over her role in imposing sanctions on Michael Matheson over his roaming charges bill.

The Scottish Parliament’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee recommended Matheson be suspended from Holyrood for 27 days and lose 54 days of salary.

But the First Minister said the process had been “prejudiced” and he would not be supporting the sanction.

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Swinney said Annie Wells, Glasgow Conservative MSP, who was on the committee, should have removed herself from the process.

The First Minister, during a heated exchange with Conservative leader, Douglas Ross said Matheson had paid back the money and lost his job as Health Secretary.

He said because Annie Wells had previously made remarks about the case she should have recused herself from the committee investigation.

Swinney said: "As I consider the findings from the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, I have significant concern.

"I believe this process has been prejudiced."

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He added: “Annie Wells said that Michael Matheson's, and I quote, 'desperate efforts to justify his outrageous expenses claim have been riddled with lies, cover-ups and the need for us all to suspend our disbelief.'"

He said Stephen Kerr, also a Conservative MSP had recused himself as he had also commented and admitted he could not be objective.

Swinney said:  “If a constituent came to me and said that they were about to face a disciplinary panel at work, and one of the panel members had made prejudicial comments about them, I would come down on that employer like a ton of bricks.

“That is the situation that Michael Matheson faces here, and that is why I will not support the sanction.”

Ross said the First Minister’s comment was “incredible and indefensible”.

He said: “Michael Matheson misled the public, misled the press and misled the Parliament.

“He expected the taxpayers of Scotland to pay £11,000 for a bill that he had racked up.”

Mentioning the other committee members, he said: “ It was not Annie Wells, Oliver Mundell, Martin Whitfield, Jackie Dunbar or Alasdair Allan who found Michael Matheson guilty, it was the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, which is comprised of members from across the chamber. “

Ross then said other people would be out of a job had they been found to have acted in the way Matheson did.

He added: “Shockingly, John Swinney is standing here today, defending the indefensible.

“MSPs must be honest, Michael Matheson was not. MSPs must act with integrity, Michael Matheson did not. MSPs must be trusted by the public, Michael Matheson is not. He is to be banned from this Parliament for a few weeks but, in the real world, he would have lost his job for what he did and what he claimed.”