The First Minister says that it does, but the UK legislation will apply in England and Wales, whereas the issue is devolved in Scotland. We have his top legal officer, who sits in the Scottish Government’s Cabinet, saying something quite different from what the First Minister is saying. Let me quote again from the Lord Advocate’s statement on Tuesday:

“That is an important process, because not every case involving Horizon evidence will be a miscarriage of justice, and each case must be considered carefully”.—[

Official Report

, 16 January 2024; c 14.]

That is the Lord Advocate’s current position: a refusal to change the process and accelerate the system because there might be some guilty people. Surely it is better to accept the tiny possibility that a guilty person will have their conviction overturned than to allow dozens of innocent postmasters to live with the stain of guilt for a minute longer.

What discussions has the First Minister had with the Lord Advocate since her statement on Tuesday? Does he agree that the convictions must be quashed as quickly as possible?