Humza Yousaf’s parents-in-law were prioritised for Gaza evacuation after his staff lobbied the Foreign Office

Humza Yousaf's relatives were put on a "priority list" for Gaza evacuations after his office lobbied the Foreign Office to secure their release, official documents reveal.

Last October, the former first minister 's parents-in-law were among hundreds of Britons trapped in Gaza when controls were imposed on the Rafah crossing in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

At the time, Mr Yousaf was vocal about the plight of his mother and father-in-law who were trying to obtain safe passage out of the warzone via Egypt.

Now he has been accused of breaking the ministerial code by attempting to use his office to get his family moved "nearer the front of the queue for evacuation".

A tranche of documents, published under freedom of information laws, reveal the extent to which his private office lobbied senior foreign office officials as well as ministers over his relatives' release.

The former first minister secured a personal phone call with the then foreign secretary on Nov 1 in which he was told that his parents-in-law had been added to the "priority list" of British nationals trying to flee Gaza , according to the documents.

Just two days after the call, Mr Yousaf's mother-in-law and father-in-law were given safe passage out of Gaza via the Rafah crossing.

The cache of correspondence, seen by The Telegraph, reveals the extent to which members of Mr Yousaf's private office assisted him in lobbying for his relatives' release.

Their efforts resulted in Mr Yousaf securing an "urgent" call with Lord Ahmed, the then Middle East minister, on Oct 10 "to discuss the ongoing situation in Israel/Gaza, specifically with regards to his parents-in-law", the documents show.

Four days later on Oct 10, Mr Yousaf spoke to the Consular Director, one of the most senior Foreign Office officials in charge of co-ordinating the evacuation of British nationals from Gaza.

As well as emails, the correspondence includes WhatsApp messages sent between Mr Yousaf and his officials.

In one of these messages, an official advises Mr Yousaf that "the most senior consular officer on duty" has offered to "support" him in his efforts to secure the release of his relatives.

Stephen Kerr, a Conservative MSP and former member of Scotland's Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, said: "Which of us, in Humza Yousaf's desperate position, would not have mentioned family members trapped in Gaza at such a dangerous time to the Foreign Secretary, if we had the chance?

"We shouldn't question his motives but as a public servant, we have every right to question his methods. The rules are very clear."

Government urged to launch review

Mr Kerr went on to say that the Nolan Principles, which those in public office are expected to abide by, state that nobody in public office should ever use their office to advantage their family or friends.

He said the Scottish government should launch a review into an examination of "any ministerial code violations that may have taken place as a result of these communications".

Mr Kerr said: "And we must also put ourselves in the position of other families in Scotland worried about relatives trapped in Gaza, who were not able to have a word in the Foreign Secretary's ear and get their family moved nearer the front of the queue for evacuation."

Earlier this year, it emerged that Mr Yousaf faces a review into a series of donations the Scottish government made to a Gaza aid agency while members of his family were trapped in the warzone.

It came after The Telegraph revealed that he overrode officials to give £250,000 to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

A Scottish Government spokesman said that the suggestion Mr Yousaf secured preferential treatment for his relatives is "completely untrue".

They said: "The former first minister consistently sought assurances that the UK Government was doing everything it could to ensure the safety of all British citizens in Gaza.

"The former first minister made the Permanent Secretary aware of the situation with his family immediately that it arose. It was also widely and publicly known."

An FCDO spokesman said: "No preferential treatment was given to the former first minister or his family. FCDO Ministers spoke with him at the time to update him on the conflict in the Middle East. As part of these wider conversations, they discussed his family's personal circumstances".

They added that consular support was provided to all British nationals seeking to leave Gaza at the time, and that priority was given to the vulnerable, including the elderly.