A TORY donor who failed in his bid to be elected to Holyrood in May of this year will be made a minister in Boris Johnson’s government, it has been revealed.
Malcolm Offord, who has donated £147,500 to the Conservatives, was not elected to the Scottish parliament after he ran on the Tory list in the Lothians region.
READ MORE: 'Stench of cronyism grows' as Boris Johnson hands Tony donor ministerial role
However, in a move branded a "disgrace", he will be put to work under Alister Jack in the Scotland Office as a minister in the UK Government.
The role was opened up after David Duguid, the Conservative MP for Banff and Buchan, was removed as a junior minister in the Cabinet Office reshuffle in September.
Greenock-born Offord will be put into the House of Lords in order to allow him to fulfill the role, despite never having been elected.
Elected Scottish Tories, including Andrew Bowie MP, were apparently passed over in order to hand Offord the job.
Referencing this, Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay quipped: “It’s not often I agree with Boris Johnson, but his assessment of the Scottish Tory MP group as a crowd unfit for ministerial office is one I’m sure we can all support."
According to reports in OpenDemocracy, Offord ran his own pro-Union campaign in 2014, named “Vote No Borders”, to which he personally donated £20,000, and which attracted a number of other substantial donations.
He also spoke out in favour of a Leave vote ahead of the Brexit referendum in 2016, and has donated £2500 to Michael Gove specifically.
Offord ran for Holyrood in the May election, having been approved as a candidate by Ruth Davidson (above).
At the time, allegations of "cronyism" surrounded the approval, with one Tory source telling the Scotsman: "It seems all you need to get an endorsement is to have deep pockets."
Offord attempted to run against Angus Robertson in Edinburgh Central, but lost out in a Tory members ballot to Scott Douglas.
Offord worked for more than two decades in finance in the City of London, before setting up his own firm, Badenoch and Co. The firm's website says it is "a boutique investment office specialising in private equity and property with a focus on Scotland".
It is not the first time Boris Johnson has elevated an unelected person to the Lords in order to make them a minister.
The Prime Minister was widely criticised when he did so with Nicky Morgan in order to allow her to remain in Government despite not being an MP.
Tory peer Gerry Grimstone, who recently claimed that UK firms do better under foreign ownership, was also made a peer before being installed in a ministerial role.
Commenting on Offord's appointment, Scottish Greens MSP Gillian Mackay said: Boris Johnson's "decision to appoint a Tory donor who was rejected by the Scottish electorate just a few months ago is a disgrace and sums up the contempt the Prime Minister has for Scottish democracy".
SNP MP Stephen Flynn wrote on Twitter: "Why bother standing for election when you can simply donate to the Tories, get a peerage and then land a job in the Scotland Office?
"Democracy. UK style."
READ MORE: UK fishing industry to lose £300m by 2026 due to Brexit, experts predict
Welcoming the appointment, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said Offord would "bring to bear a wealth of valuable business experience ... as we invest in Scotland to grow our economy and create jobs".
Offord, in his new role as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, added that it "is an exciting time to be joining government as we build back stronger, fairer and greener from Covid".
He went on: "As a proud Scot and experienced businessman, I know how crucial our business community will be in getting Scotland prospering again. I look forward to working closely with them and the many other sectors."
The Scotland Office further noted that the role will be unpaid.
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