A long-awaited report into the Ferguson Marine ferries fiasco has identified serious failings – including Nicola Sturgeon’s decision to prematurely announce the shipyard as the preferred bidder.

Following months of investigation, a Holyrood committee found taxpayers and island communities have been “badly let down” by many of those involved in the project.

The 124-page report from the public audit committee is the most comprehensive account so far of the troubled programme to build the Glen Sannox and the as-yet-unnamed hull 802.

The ferries are meant to serve island communities in the west of Scotland, but are now five years late and with a price tag nearly tripled to almost £300m.

The decision to publicly announce Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) – at that point owned by businessman Jim McColl – as the preferred bidder in 2015 came in for particular criticism.

Sturgeon personally attended the shipyard for the announcement, and the committee said the move “almost certainly” weakened the negotiating position of the ferry-owning body CMAL when problems emerged later.

One section of the cross-party committee’s report says: “Given that it was clear that considerable negotiations were still required, we question the First Minister’s decision to publicly announce the preferred bidder.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters