FORMER Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale was paid £70,000 for her appearance on ITV reality show I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!

The fee was revealed yesterday when the Lothian list MSP updated her register of interests on the Scottish Parliament’s website.

Dugdale said that after paying Australian and UK tax she will have been left with around £45,000.

The politician has donated a total of £5100 from her fee to three Scottish charities, Glasgow Women’s Aid, Who Cares? Scotland, and the Archie Foundation. But SNP MSP Rona Mackay said the ostrich-anus-smoothie-drinking game-show contestant should have given more.

Dugdale had defended her decision to take part in the reality show by saying it would be an opportunity to promote Labour values and make the case for a Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn.

“It would appear that for the many, not the few is little more than an empty slogan,” Mackay said. “These are all very worthwhile charities who will no doubt be grateful for the donation, but many people, including Labour supporters, will be surprised – and disappointed – that this is just a small fraction of the fee accepted by Kezia Dugdale.

“In fact, Ms Dugdale earned more than her annual MSP salary for a short trip to Australia. This revelation has exposed her rhetoric about Labour values as utterly hypocritical.”

Dugdale’s surprise appearance on the programme shocked colleagues and overshadowed the election of her successor as Labour leader, Richard Leonard.

She was the second celebrity kicked out of the jungle, leaving after 11 days, having failed to win the support of viewers.

As part of the deal with the show, Dugdale then had to spend the next week living it up in the Palazzo Versace Gold Coast hotel, one of the southern hemisphere’s top hotels.

That meant the full amount declared on the Parliament’s website is between £80,001 and £85,000, including her fee, travel, accommodation and a daily payment while not in the camp. During the 12 shows she featured in, there was little evidence that Dugdale managed to promote Labour policies, with producers seemingly cutting out debates on immigration and other sensitive political issues.

The 36-year-old has stuck by her decision to go to the jungle, saying part of her reason for becoming involved was to show young people that politicians are human.

Yesterday, Dugdale said she had now raised nearly £30,000 for charity since 2015. She said: “I’m pleased that a number of charities which do amazing work across Scotland will benefit financially from this. I’m delighted to be back in the Parliament serving my constituents across the Lothians.

“I held more than 30 surgeries across the region in 2017 and I will continue to be an open and accessible MSP throughout 2018 and beyond.

“I also look forward to developing a number of campaigns around the Year of Young People.”

Before appearing on the programme, Dugdale donated her £2500 parliamentary salary for her time in Australia to the Rock Trust, an Edinburgh-based charity.

Although Dugdale has not yet been fully welcomed back into the fold by Labour’s Scottish parliamentary party, her old deputy, Alex Rowley has been given a top job by Richard Leonard.

Rowley, who last year was caught on tape secretly backing Leonard in the leadership battle, and seemingly suggesting there was a plot to undermine Dugdale, stood down from the number two position last month.

That came after an internal party investigation into claims of harassment made against him by his former partner. Labour dropped the investigation, saying they were unable to fully investigate the claims after Rowley’s former partner refused to allow the party to share personal details with him.

According to reports, Leonard asked Neil Bibby to stand down from the finance committee so he could be replaced by Rowley. When Bibby said no, Leonard sacked him as transport spokesman. Rowley was instead voted on to the environment committee.