A TORY MSP has called for more transparency from within his own party after a report suggested the Conservatives are still receiving funds from Russia-linked donors.
Miles Briggs, who serves the Lothian region, said he had “no problem” with backing transparency.
The Good Law Project previously reported that the Conservative Party accepted at least £243,000 from Russia-associated donors since the start of war in Ukraine..
Speaking to Good Morning Scotland and asked if more transparency is needed, Briggs said: “Well I don’t know the details of that, I haven’t seen that this morning. I have no problem saying to you Gary I want full transparency around such donations.”
The National approached the Conservative Party for comment on the reports of Russian-linked donations.
Briggs was also asked about his party making a lot of “internal difficulties” within the SNP.
Senior Conservatives have called for Nicola Sturgeon to be suspended.
It comes as Rishi Sunak faces further questions over his family’s financial interests after a standards investigation was launched into a potential breach of transparency rules relating to his links to a childcare firm in which his wife is an investor.
Asked about this, Briggs said: “The Prime Minister’s said that he’s co-operating fully with that investigation and that he’s confident these rules have been followed in full.”
On the calls from his own party for Sturgeon to be suspended, Briggs said the former first minister’s situation was “fundamentally different” from the Prime Minister’s.
“If you’re talking about the SNP financed subject to a police investigation then that’s an entirely different matter to a standards commission investigation around a declaration.
“The Prime Minister is co-operating fully and it’s now up to the standards commissioner to continue their investigations”, Briggs added.
Opposition parties have said the investigation was a sign that sleaze had returned to Number 10.
If Sunak is found to have breached MPs’ rules over the declaration, any sanction is likely to be minor with parliamentary sources suggesting to The Guardian that, should the PM admit a breach, Sunak would likely only be ordered to make a correction.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest.”
Home Office minister Chris Philp also defended the Prime Minister, insisting “no-one really doubts Rishi’s integrity and ethics”.
