Scottish Pol Quits After 100s of Texts to 16-Year-Old Boy Come to Light

A Scottish politician who reportedly sent hundreds of unwanted messages to a 16-year-old boy - including some that complimented the boy's looks and called him "cute" - has turned in his resignation.

Scotland's Finance Secretary, Derek Mackay, 42, has also had his membership in the Scottish National party put on hold by party officials in the wake of the revelations, reports British newspaper the Guardian.

Mackay is also a member of the Scottish Parliament. Fellow pols are calling for him to step down from his post as a lawmaker.

Mackay learned during the evening hours of Feb. 5 that a newspaper, the Scottish Sun, was about to break the story. At the time, Mackay was just finalizing the budget for the Scottish government - a budget that he was to have presented, but which now will be presented by the country's public finance minister, the BBC noted.

Mackay immediately contacted the nation's first minister, Nicola Surgeon, and resigned as finance minister. The next day Mackay issued an apology to the boy and his family.

Said Mackay:

"I take full responsibility for my actions. I have behaved foolishly and I am truly sorry. I apologize unreservedly to the individual involved and his family...

"Serving in government has been a huge privilege and I am sorry to have let colleagues and supporters down."

The Scottish Sun published several stories about Mackay's texts to the boy. The story said that Mackay sent him around 270 messages and reported that the messages had gone on for six months on social media platforms Instagram and Facebook.

Mackay reportedly kept texting the boy even after he told Mackay that he was only 16. An illustration that appeared to represent a screenshot of exchanged texts purported to show Mackay texting the boy with the query, "And our chats are between us?"

The response: "Yeahh."

"Cool," the illustration shows the very next text reading, "to be honest I think you are really cute."

Then: "Just as long as you know, but you can delete that message lol."

Pols from other parties were quick to jump on Mackay, with the head of the Scottish Labor Party, Richard Leonard, calling Mackay's conduct "nothing short of predatory."

The acting head of the Scottish Conservatives. Jackson Carlaw, suggested that Mackay had been "grooming" the young man.

Sturgeon's remarks were more restrained, with the head of the Scottish National Party saying that Mackay had "failed to meet the standards required" of someone in his position.

Pundits and politicians fretted that Mackay's actions constitute a black eye to the Scottish government and to politics in the nation overall. Among other issues facing Scotland is the post-Brexit question of whether Scotland should follow suit and separate itself from the British Commonwealth, becoming completely independent, a course of action strongly urged by the Scottish National Party.

Mackay was seen as being a possible successor to Sturgeon as first minister, noted the Financial Times.