THE SNP registered over £1 million in donations a new database has shown - the least of the main four political parties. But what does it reveal about who is funding individual MPs?
Using the Westminster Accounts database, created by Sky News and Tortoise, The National logged donations, gifts and secondary earnings of Scotland’s pro-independence MPs in the current parliamentary term and ranked them from highest to lowest.
Earlier this week we used the interactive tool to investigate who was funding the Scottish Tories, with leader Douglas Ross topping the rankings.
The Tories brought in by far the most cash (£76m), followed by Labour (£33m). Despite only having 14 MPs, the LibDems brought in £15m, compared to the SNP who have 45 MPs and received £1m.
The research also links individual parliamentarians to All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) and sets out how much funding and benefits each MP has access to through the independent groups.
Chris Stephens, Glasgow South West
Number of declared financial interests: 3
Donations: 3
Total amount: £92,280
Stephens tops the list due to three big donations of over £30,000 from the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCSU) in 2020, 2021 and February 2022. He also is or has been a member of 16 APPGs, 14 of which were given £946,500. The biggest sources donating to those were the Athena Foundation, Three Lines Sport, and Connect Communications.
Ian Blackford, Skye and Lochaber
Number of declared financial interests: 12
Outside earnings: £38,120
Total amount: £38,120
Former group leader Blackford declared over £38,000 in secondary earnings from the Golden Charter Trust. He didn’t declare any gifts or donations and sits on only one APPG, Christians in Parliament, which took in £441,000. Its biggest sources were from the Parliamentary Christian Trust, and the Bible Society.
John Nicolson, Ochil and South Perthshire
Number of declared financial interests: 16
Gifts: £1565 (6)
Outside earnings: £34,785
Total amount: £36,350
Former journalist Nicholson logged multiple secondary sources of income from broadcast appearances with News UK, the largest £5300. He received numerous gifts, the smallest valued at £75 from Sky UK. He is or was a member of five APPGs, four of which took in £221,100. The biggest financial sources for these groups were Baring Foundation, The Student View, and Kaleidoscope Trust.
Joanna Cherry KC, Edinburgh South West
Number of declared financial interests: 18
Donations: £3000
Gifts: £1950 (2)
Outside earnings: £18,000
Total amount: £22,950
Cherry is a columnist for The National and declared her secondary earnings from opinion articles in her registers of interests. She also received a £3000 donation from Flagship Media Group and two gifts from the Franco-British Council. The KC has been a member of four APPGS, two of which took in a total of £30,000. The biggest sources of cash were from the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, The Law Society of England and Wales and Bar Council.
Lisa Cameron, East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
Number of declared financial interests: 10
Donations: £6600 (1)
Gifts: £12,420 (5)
Outside earnings: £300
Total amount: £19,320
Cameron only received one donation of £6600 from Christian Action Research and Education (CARE), an anti-abortion campaign group. The MP previously came under fire for being one of 20 MPs who employed interns from CARE. She also received numerous gifts from the Foreign Ministries of Qatar and Switzerland, and other international sources. She is also the SNP MP with the membership on the most number of APPGS - 98. Of those 53 who do take funding, they brought in £3 million. The biggest donors include Policy Connect and the Athena Foundation.
Angus Brendan MacNeil, Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Number of declared financial interests: 9
Gifts: £17,410 (4)
Outside earnings: £580
Total amount: £17,990
MacNeil is another SNP politician who has registered expensive gifts from Qatar, the largest worth £7760. The Western Isles MP’s secondary earnings were mostly small amounts from polling companies. He is or was a member of 44 APPGs, 10 of which are funded and brought in approximately £435,000. The biggest donors include Connect Communications and Mindfully Wired Communications.
Anum Qaisar, Airdrie and Shotts
Number of declared financial interests: 2
Gifts: £600
Outside earnings: £10,140
Total amount: £10740
All of Qaisar’s secondary earnings come from George Watson’s College, an independent school in Edinburgh in May 2021, around the same time she won the by-election for the west coast seat. The one gift registered came from the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus. She is a member of three APPGs, all of which are funded to around £100,500. The biggest sources of this are the Muslim Women’s Network UK and British Red Cross.
Dr Philippa Whitford, Central Ayrshire
Number of declared financial interests: 5
Gifts: £4570 (2)
Outside earnings: £4570
Total amount: £9890
Whitford's secondary earnings come from NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and the most expensive item she declared was a gift worth £2770 from Results UK. She is a member of 16 APPGs, 12 of which have access to £781,900 in funds and benefits. The biggest sources are March For Change, and the Survival and Flourishing Fund.
Martyn Day, Linlithgow and East Falkirk
Number of declared financial interests: 3
Gifts: £8020 (1)
Outside earnings: £400
Total amount: £8420
Day's lavish gift again comes from the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, with his secondary earnings coming from polling companies including Ipsos MORI. He is a member of 16 APPGs, half of which are funded by approximately £543,300. The biggest sources are Google, Dentons Global Advisors (DGA), and BT.
Brendan O'Hara, Argyll and Bute
Number of declared financial interests: 3
Gifts received: £8290 (3)
Total amount: £8290
O'Hara's most expensive gift came from ABColumbia, an advocacy project for UK organisations working in the country, worth £4630, while the smallest came from Mankind is my Business, worth £1130. Of the 19 APPGs he is a member, only eight received funding totalling £453,600. The biggest donors were the Religious Freedom Institute and Mamont Foundation.
The following SNP MPs declared donations, gifts or secondary earnings below £8000.
Carol Monaghan, Glasgow North West
Number of declared financial interests: 2
Gifts received: 2 - £6600 from Satellite Applications Catapult. £1200 from Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Total amount: £7800
APPGs membership: 20, 15 funded - £1.2 million
Sources: Big Innovation Centre, British Science Association, BT, Google
Pete Wishart, Perth and North Perthshire
Number of declared financial interests: 4
Outside earnings: Largest income, £3100 Ridge Records. Smallest income £900 from band MP4.
Total amount: £7370
APPGs: 6, 4 funded - £158,000
Sources: Performers' Alliance, Diageo plc, Budweiser Brewing Group UK
Richard Thomson, Gordon
Number of declared financial interests: 4
Outside earnings: £6530 - Aberdeenshire Council renumeration
APPG membership: 8, 4 funded - £213,000
Sources: Connect Communications, British Cleaning Council, Chartered Management Institute.
Drew Hendry, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
Number of declared financial interests: 15
Donations: £5000 (2). Biggest donor Witherby Publishing Group (£3000)
Outside earnings: £1520 - YouGov, Ipsos MORI etc.
Total amount: £6520
APPG membership: 12, 5 funded - £273,000
Sources: Policy Connect, Confor: Promoting Forestry and Wood.
Tommy Sheppard, Edinburgh East
Number of declared financial interests: 3
Gifts: £5990. Includes United Nations Population Fund £2960, European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights £2590.
APPG membership: 14, 6 funded - £479,000
Sources: United Nations Population Fund, European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights (EPF), Religious Freedom Institute, Humanists UK.
Douglas Chapman, Dunfermline and West Fife
Number of declared financial interests: 1
Gifts: £5800, UAE Foreign Affairs Ministry
APPG membership: 20, 7 funded - £557,500
Sources: Connect Communications, Policy Connect, Green Alliance.
Dave Doogan, Angus
Number of declared financial interests: 44
Outside earnings: £5690, Perth and Kinross Council and polling firms.
APPG membership: 10, 2 funded - £48,000
Sources: Institution of Civil Engineers, AECOM, EDF Energy.
Kirsty Blackman, Aberdeen North
Number of declared financial interests: 2
Gifts: £5650 (Claire Sainsbury)
APPG membership: 9, 6 funded - £741,000
Sources: Athena foundation, Hausfeld, UK Finance
Stewart Malcolm McDonald, Glasgow South
Number of declared financial interests: 4
Gifts: £5360 (largest £2020 Yalta European Strategy)
APPG membership: 5, 4 funded - £351,100
Sources: Baring Foundation, Whitehouse Communications, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
Patrick Grady, Glasgow North
Number of declared financial interests: 52 (most of all SNP MPs)
Outside earnings: £5360 - polling firms.
APPG membership: 23, 10 funded - £549,600
Sources: Big Innovation Centre, Royal African Society
Alan Brown, Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Number of declared financial interests: 19
Gifts: £2780 (1, European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights)
Outside earnings: £2780 - polling firms.
Total amount: £5300
APPG membership: 24, 12 funded - £609,100
Sources: Policy Connect, Parliamentary Renewable & Sustainable Energy Group (PRASEG).
Note: Brown is a member of APPG called ‘Beer’, funded by Diageo, Budweiser etc.
Gavin Newlands, Paisley and Renfrewshire North
Number of declared financial interests: 14
Gifts: £1300 (2)
Outside earnings: £2060 - polling firms and sports organisations.
Total amount: £3360
APPG membership: 25, 15 funded - £432,500
Sources: Three Lines Sport, Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technologies
Stephen Flynn, Aberdeen South, SNP group leader
Number of declared financial interests: 4
Outside earnings: £3220 - Aberdeen City Council and Scottish Parliament.
APPG membership: 2, neither is funded.
Steven Bonnar, Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill
Number of declared financial interests: 2
Outside earnings: £2100 - North Lanarkshire Council 2020
APPG membership: 7, 4 funded - £157,000
Sources: Three Lines Sport, Family Rights Group
Patricia Gibson, North Ayrshire and Arran
Number of declared financial interests: 26
Outside earnings: £1960 (Savanta ComRes and Yonder Consulting)
APPG membership: 5, 1 funded - £21,000 (Baby Loss)
Sources: Sands, The Lullaby Trust
Kirsten Oswald, East Renfrewshire
Number of declared financial interests: 2
Outside earnings: £1870 (City of Glasgow College)
APPG membership: 16, 10 funded - £346,000
Sources: Connect Communications, Antisemitism Policy Trust, British Red Cross.
Alyn Smith, Stirling
Number of declared financial interests: 1
Gifts: £1850 (Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars)
APPG membership: 1, not funded
Peter Grant, Glenrothes
Number of declared financial interests: 19
Outside earnings: £1760 - polling firms.
APPG membership: 1, not funded
Owen Thompson, Midlothian
Number of declared financial interests: 1
Outside earnings: £1020 (Scottish Parliament)
APPG membership: 20, 17 funded - £911,300
Sources: Whitehouse Communications, Wychwood Consulting, Connect Communications
David Linden, Glasgow East
Number of declared financial interests: 7
Outside earnings: £700 - polling firms.
APPG membership: 24, 11 funded - £163,500
Sources: Lucideon, FaithAction, Association of British Insurers
Chris Law, Dundee West
Number of declared financial interests: 1
Gifts: £600 (Armenian National Parliament)
APPG membership: 29, 9 funded - £762,000
Sources: Athena Foundation, Hausfeld, Revive Campaign
Amy Callaghan, East Dunbartonshire
Number of declared financial interests: 7
Outside earnings: £600 - polling firms.
APPG membership: 4, 3 funded £91,510
Sources: Macmillan Cancer Support, Stroke Association.
Anne McLaughlin, Glasgow North East
Number of declared financial interests: 4
Outside earnings: £300 - polling firms.
APPG membership: 22, 12 - £251,200.
Sources: British Future, British Red Cross, The Mindfulness Initiative.
Which SNP MPs registered no financial interests?
A total of 12 (26.6%) SNP MPs did not log any donations, gifts or secondary income during the current parliament.
This includes; deputy Westminster group leader Mhairi Black (Paisley and Renfrewshire South), Stuart C McDonald (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East), Stewart Hosie (Dundee East), Ronnie Cowan (Inverclyde), Martin Docherty-Hughes (West Dunbartonshire), Marion Fellows (Motherwell and Wishaw), John McNally (Falkirk), Hannah Bardell (Livingston), Deidre Brock (Edinburgh North and Leith), Angela Crawley (Lanark and Hamilton East), Allan Dorans (Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock), and Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central).
However, the MPs above are all members of APPGs.
