We won’t tell you.

A new transparency row has emerged as the fallout from the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal row continues.

The Herald can reveal that health chiefs have refused to reveal another key piece of information regarding how the legal fees are covered.

It was revealed on Wednesday that the Central Legal Office (CLO), which is part of the NHS’s National Service Scotland unit, and appoints barristers on behalf of health boards, said there was “no legitimate” case to reveal the hourly rate paid to Jane Russell KC.

No legitimate case? Really? For people to know how much of their money is being pissed away on pretending a man is a woman?

However, the CLO -which is a publicly funded body –  and NHS chiefs have been accused of “shameful secrecy” by Tory MSP Tess White. North East MSP Ms White said during a parliamentary debate in Holyrood that her understanding was the legal bill from NHS Fife currently sat at around £600,000.

Ms White, the equalities spokeswoman for the Scottish Tories, told The Herald: “This is just the latest example of the shameful secrecy that NHS Fife has displayed in its witch hunt against Sandie Peggie. Taxpayers have a right to know how much of their money was squandered by the health board defending the indefensible.”

Well quite. It’s public money and it’s being thrown away on pretending huge smug rich dude Theo Upton is not a dude.