Headline NewsSalmond forced into climbdown over sale of Holyrood lunches
By Campbell Gunn And the First Minister admitted these were just the latest in a number of lunches in Parliament which had been sold off for party funds. Now Mr Salmond faces further trouble after it was confirmed a member of the public has reported him to the Standards Commissioner, Parliament’s “sleaze-buster”. Bidders Last night the names of the bidders who paid £11,000 for the lunches with Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon were revealed. Mr Amin Hussain bid £9000 for lunch with Mr Salmond, and Mr Khalid Javid bid £2000 for lunch with Ms Sturgeon at a Glasgow Central SNP fund-raising event last week. Previously, three lunches with Mr Salmond were auctioned or raffled for a total of £1500, and a tour of Parliament with Ms Sturgeon for £260. Mr Salmond’s spokesman said none of these events had actually taken place, nor had any of the donations been received. Selling access Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said rather than drawing a line under the issue of ‘cash for access’ it now appeared the First Minister and Nicola Sturgeon were systematically selling access for private meetings to raise party funds. He said, “This is not about charity lunches in the Parliament but extremely serious allegations over the abuse of the First Minister’s office. “What matters most is Alex Salmond thought it was right to sell private meetings for party funds. “The most disturbing thing is not the lack of respect for Parliamentary rules but lack of respect for the office of First Minister.” The Tories announced they are reporting the matter to Parliament’s Standards Committee. Cancelled Last night, it was confirmed Mr Salmond had written to Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson, explaining he had cancelled all lunches in Parliament which related to party activities. No cash will be returned, since none of the money has so far been received by the SNP. Mr Salmond said, “I have identified four lunches and Nicola Sturgeon has identified one lunch and a tour. “Since none have taken place, and no donations have been received, there is no difficulty in the Corporate Body considering the matter in principle.” Mr Salmond added he has cancelled the lunches to avoid any doubt, as the Corporate Body, which rules on such issues, will not be able to meet for several weeks due to the absence of MSP Tom McCabe, who is on a visit to China. However, Mr Salmond claims a blanket ban on lunches would hit charities. A spokesman for the First Minister added, “The position set out by the Scottish Parliament on Thursday could put every MSP in breach, because it would clearly prevent the restaurant being used for lunches auctioned by charities and other organisations, which MSPs of all parties do regularly. |
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Humble pie
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