MP donations: Who is funding the SNP in Westminster?

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. 

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Chris Stephens, Glasgow South West

Chris Stephens tops the list of SNP MPs with three big donations (Image: Getty)

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

Former group leader Blackford comes second in our rankings

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

Nicolson's declared interests were mostly broadcast related

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.

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Joanna Cherry KC, Edinburgh South West

Cherry is a columnist for The National (Image: PA)

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

Cameron declared thousands of pounds in gifts from numerous international sources (Image: House of Commons)

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

MacNeil was one of numerous SNP MPs who received gifts from Qatar

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. 

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Anum Qaisar, Airdrie and Shotts

Qaisar was the last SNP MP to be elected, at a by-election in 2021

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

Whitford declared secondary earnings and two gifts

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

Day had a small amount of outside earnings but one expensive gift

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

O'Hara also declared the value of numerous gifts

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.

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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

Hendry was one of only 4 SNP MPs who received personal donations

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.

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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

Both of Blackman's gifts came from the same donor (Image: PA)

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

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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

Flynn is much further down our rankings than his predecessor Blackford (Image: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor)

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

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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

Thompson declared secondary earnings (Image: Newsquest)

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

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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.

Black is one of around a quarter of SNP MPs who did not declared any financial interests

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.