SCOTTISH Labour accepted £75,000 from a director of the scandal-hit Labour Together think tank in the months leading up to the Holyrood election.
Electoral Commission records show that Francesca Perrin — who was serving as a director of Labour Together at the time according to Companies House — made the donation on January 22 2026.
Just a few weeks later, the think tank was embroiled in controversy after it emerged that it hired PR firm APCO Worldwide to investigate journalists from The Guardian, The Sunday Times and other outlets and identify their sources.
At the time, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said he was “deeply concerned” by the reports.
Labour Together has since rebranded to ThinkLabour and Perrin, a philanthropist who is also the daughter of long-time Labour donor and supermarket magnate Lord Sainsbury, stepped down from her directorship in April.
The SNP have repeatedly urged Scottish Labour to return its donations from Labour Together, with many of its now MPs receiving funds before the 2024 General Election.
"This is just the latest in a long line of donations to the Labour party from people connected to the incredibly dodgy Labour Together," SNP MSP Alex Kerr told The National.
“The fact is these donors will be asking if they received proper value for money given Anas Sarwar's failed stint as Labour leader because despite having a pile of cash at his disposal, he delivered Labour their two worst ever election results."
This hefty Labour Together-adjacent donation was just one of several large contributions that dominated Scottish Labour’s pre-election funding – amounting to over £400k in the first quarter of 2026.
Despite receiving the most donations of any other party in the Holyrood election, Scottish Labour slumped to a historic low – returning just 17 MSPs.
The largest single donation came from the Easdale brothers, who gave £150,000 via their firm Dalglen (No 1811) Limited in March. Further high-value donations included £30,000 from Amin Hemani and £25,000 from Paul McManus – the drummer in the Scottish band Gun.
Hero Brands Limited, which is owned by Anas Sarwar’s brother, contributed £20,000 via the Hamilton , Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency party (CLP). Another £20,000 came from real estate firm Wood Advisory Limited.
Scottish Labour councillor Jenny Laing, who also stood for the party in Aberdeen Central and lost out to the SNP , donated £5000 to her local CLP.
There is no evidence of wrongdoing by any party involved, and no indication that any rules were breached.
Scottish Labour and Labour Together have been approached for comment.
