THE SNP has furiously denied claims they’ve spent money raised for indyref2 on campaigning for elections.
A senior SNP source dismissed the allegations as “utter nonsense” and “categorically not true”.
The accusations were made by the pro-independence blogger Wings Over Scotland, who said the SNP was “in absolutely no financial position to fight a second independence campaign this year, or next year, or any year soon”.
The party has run two high-profile independence campaign fundraisers in recent years, on the now disused ref.scot website in 2017 and currently on the Yes.scot page.
The first drive had a target of £1 million in 100 days but was closed down three months later with around £482,000 raised.
The well connected blogger, Stuart Campbell, said numerous senior SNP sources had told him “that any enquiries as to the whereabouts and availability of the ‘ring-fenced’ fundraiser money are met with a brick wall”.
He claimed that “hundreds of thousands of pounds” had “vanished into the hungry maw of the party’s seat-winning machine”, adding He says cash raised in 2017 has “been spent on normal party activities and fighting elections”.
That, he added “appears to us to be something alarmingly close to outright fraud”.
He pointed to the SNP’s most recent accounts, published on the Electoral Commission’s website, detailing that the SNP held £411,000 of cash in hand at the end of 2018.
The party struggled for big money donations in recent years, with the party tending to rely upon smaller donations from its membership, which, sits at around 125,000.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel