RUTH Davidson raked in £7500 for a one-off appearance as a pundit on ITV’s General Election coverage, it has been revealed.
The former Scottish Conservative leader had been offered an “unprecedented sum” to appear on the broadcaster’s election night show on December 12, according to earlier reports in the Herald on Sunday.
Davidson had initially refused to admit how much she had been paid. But the MSP has now updated her Holyrood register of interests, which confirms the fee.
“On 24 January 2020 I was paid a £7500 fee by ITV (of 200 Grays Inn Rd, Holborn, London WC1X 8XZ) for participating in the network’s election night coverage. [Registered 12 February 2020],” the new entry states.
READ MORE: Ruth Davidson drops PR role after public and industry backlash
Initial reports said the BBC had also been interested in hiring Davidson for their election coverage, but bosses were unwilling to match the ITV fee.
The Edinburgh Central MSP, who is due to step down before the 2021 election, currently receives a basic Scottish Parliament salary of £63,579.
In October, Davidson was urged to resign as an MSP after she accepted a £50,000-a-year public relations job at international agency Tulchan. She also set up her own firm, Kirkholm Broadlands, with partner Jen Wilson on top of her political day job.
Facing a public backlash, the former Scottish Tory leader announced she would not take up the PR job.
READ MORE: Ruth Davidson urged to quit after ITV appearance fee revealed
Davidson is expected to take up a role in the House of Lords after being nominated by Boris Johnson.
Peers are not paid a salary but are entitled to a daily allowance of £313. That rate is expected to rise to £323 in April – equating to an annual tax-free income of more than £48,000 for members who attend the typical 150 days the Upper House sits each year.
Peers' expenses and daily attendance allowance increased by 29% last year, according to an analysis published earlier this week.
READ MORE: Scottish Labour peer claims £52k without making any speeches
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