JOHN Swinney has defended Stephen Flynn after he lobbied ministers on behalf of an energy firm run by a donor who gave his branch £30,000, saying the donation had been “declared properly”.
The SNP Westminster leader wrote to Energy Minister Gillian Martin in October 2023 to help green energy firm Flotation Energy with a “consent logjam” in its planning application for a floating wind farm off Peterhead in Aberdeenshire.
The floating wind farm project, called Green Volt, was granted planning consent by the Scottish Government in April this year.
Weeks later the firm's co-chief technical officer, Allan MacAskill, brother of former Alba MP and justice secretary Kenny MacAskill, sent £30,000 to the SNP branch in Flynn’s Aberdeen South constituency on May 27, ahead of July's General Election.
Although the donation wasn’t made directly to Flynn he was required to record it in Westminster's register of interests, external.
Swinney has defended Flynn saying the donation had been declared properly.
He told BBC Scotland News: “There’s a financial contribution been made as part of a normal political donation for political purposes and that’s properly been declared.
“It’s a huge policy priority for all of us that want to take action on climate change that we take these decisions properly and promptly to make sure we can secure investment in renewable energy in Scotland.”
MacAskill set up Flotation Energy in 2018 with its current chief executive Nicol Stephen, the former LibDems deputy first minister, and is a long-standing SNP member and donor.
Green Volt is a joint venture with Norwegian firm Vårgrønn and aims to provide renewable electricity to oil and gas platforms, replacing existing natural gas and diesel power generation, and the UK grid.
An SNP spokesperson said: “Stephen Flynn MP is a proud and vocal champion of Scotland's journey to renewable energy, and he will always support important projects that bring jobs and investment to Aberdeen and communities across Scotland.
“Any local MP worth their salt would do everything they could to ensure vital renewable projects are delivered – and Stephen has a strong record in championing investment.”
