I’m victim of sexism, says SNP minister hiring artist with public cash

An SNP minister who sparked outrage by advertising for a taxpayer-funded artist in residence to create works about her political opinions claims she is the victim of sexism. Hannah Mary Goodlad will use £11,000 of public money to pay a painter, sculptor or musician to “produce materials that convey [her] aims to the general public and media” in her Shetland constituency. Most commented 1 Three in ten of super-rich consider leaving Britain over tax fears Companies & Markets 601 comments 2 Pope Leo walking and eating after lung cancer operation Europe 299 comments 3 Scaling up: the best British fish to eat sustainably revealed Environment 102 comments 4 Sculpted stags in the garden — and other news in pictures Photography 124 comments 5 New dinosaur related to T rex emerges from drawer after 100 years Science 67 comments A further £12,800 will be spent on a part-time writer to translate her press releases into the local dialect. Scotland newsletter Your weekend briefing from the Scotland edition of The Times and The Sunday Times. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Scotland newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Scotland newsletter Explore our newsletters The public finance minister accused critics of mischief-making, but as the row rumbles on she now insists she’s being picked on for being a “bold woman”. Top stories 1 Pope Leo walking and eating after lung cancer operation Europe 2 Shopkeeper in Kelly Clarkson row ‘fears for safety’ as CCTV released US news 3 Why corporate America is anxious about the midterms Companies & Markets 4 New US inflation hotter than expected as Iran war stokes fuel costs Economics 5 New Andy Burnham met Manchester City leaders four times as mayor Politics In a social media post on Wednesday, Goodlad branded the affair a “political teacup storm” and renewed her call for artists to apply for the post. “The creative industry is not a ‘nice to have’ for Shetland. It has always been a huge part of who we are and our economy,” she wrote. Advertisement She added that those who disapproved of her use of taxpayers’ cash “have shown EXACTLY their hand: their view of the creative sector, their view of bold women, their view of challenging the status quo, their disdain for confident, different politics and comms. We have them rattled. They know it”. Top stories 1 Budget 2026 predictions: when is it and what could be announced? Economics 2 Forget the property ladder, there’s a new route to wealth Saving & Investing Goodlad was elected to Holyrood in May and instantly made a minister by John Swinney. In her role as guardian of the public finances, she has pledged to “take a responsible approach … prioritising investment in frontline services” while finding efficiencies of £1.5bn. The advert placed by Goodlad Now, though, she is hiring the full-time artist for her constituency office in Lerwick, welcoming applications from Shetland-based creators “of any discipline, including but not limited to visual art, textiles and music”. The four-month role is to “deliver projects exploring policy areas of priority to the MSP through your own artistic practice and support the MSP’s engagement with local schools and community groups”. Advertisement It comes with a salary equivalent to £33,000 a year. Reform UK’s shadow equalities minister Amanda Lindsay said: “Only Hannah Mary Goodlad is trying to turn this into a conversation about the arts and gender. “The rest of us are still stuck on the original problem: spending taxpayers’ money on a frivolous artist in the first place. These half-hearted cries of misogyny aren’t cutting much ice after years of SNP higher-ups treating public cash like a personal expense account.” She is the latest SNP figure to meet questions over their conduct with the claim that they are the victim of sexism. Nicola Sturgeon , the former first minister, blamed misogyny for suspicions that she might have had an inkling that her husband Peter Murrell was embezzling money from the SNP. Advertisement She said: “It is the age-old cry of when a man does something wrong, well, the woman must have known about it, somehow it’s her fault.” Last month the MSP Collette Stevenson faced ridicule for asking whether government agency Transport Scotland was a charity during a transport committee meeting. She later blamed a chest infection for her blunder but also claimed criticism of her was “misogynistic bullying”.