AS Boris Johnson hands a ministerial role in the Scotland Office to a Tory donor, the “stench of rampant cronyism grows day by day”, the SNP have said.
Hitting out at the Prime Minister’s move to elevate the unelected Malcolm Offord to the Lords, the SNP said there was clear “sleaze at the heart of the UK government”.
Offord has been handed the unpaid position working under Scottish Secretary Alister Jack despite there being available candidates in the elected Tory benches, including Scottish MPs Andrew Bowie and John Lamont.
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."
READ MORE: Scottish Parliament condemns 'catastrophic' impact of Brexit on Scotland in debate
Her party also hit out at the “contempt for Scottish democracy” shown by the Prime Minister in appointing Offord – despite him having been rejected by the electorate in the Holyrood election earlier this year.
Offord, who has donated almost £150,000 to the Conservative party, had tried to run in Edinburgh Central, but lost out in a Tory members' ballot.
The millionaire financier then ran on the Lothians list, but failed to win a seat in Holyrood.
Commenting on his appointment to the House of Lords, which came alongside his appointment as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, SNP MP Stewart Hosie (below) said: "The stench of rampant cronyism surrounding this Tory government grows day by day.
"There are already serious questions facing the Tories over the use of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money for vanity projects and Covid contracts, but to now hand out roles and peerages to party donors shows contempt for democracy.
“Boris Johnson has clearly failed to appoint someone within his own ranks and has now had to go searching for a financial associate to help counter the growing support for independence.”
Offord founded and ran a Unionist campaign called “Vote No Borders” in 2014, and spoke out in favour of Leave during the Brexit referendum.
Hosie went on: “The Prime Minister can try and run away from the idea of an independence referendum, but ultimately he cannot hide from democracy and from the cast-iron electoral mandate which exists.
“The reality is that Scotland is hugely vulnerable under Westminster control – with severe labour shortage, empty supermarket shelves, an ongoing fuel crisis, and rampant Tory cronyism engulfing Westminster.
"The people of Scotland have had enough of the sleaze at the heart of the UK Government. The only way we can protect Scotland from the sleaze and cronyism of the Tories is by becoming an independent country.”
Offord said it was “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."
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