Salmond pays for translator’s Bute House wedding

Published on 03/09/2012 12:00

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has allowed his Chinese interpreter to get married for free at Bute House – and even paid for the catering, it has been reported.

The SNP leader offered Isabel Hui Liu and her groom use of the Charlotte Square mansion – the official residence of the First Minister – for their humanist wedding last month. Picking up the tab for the catering is thought to have cost Mr Salmond several thousand pounds.

The First Minister has visited China several times and has been keen to strengthen Scotland’s ties with the superpower.

Isabel Hiu Liu, who studied for a doctorate at Heriot-Watt University, was hired by the Scottish Government to ensure the First Minister’s message was not lost in translation.

A Government spokesperson was reported to have confirmed that the First Minister hosted the wedding.

“The First Minster was delighted to host a wedding ceremony at Bute House – which was a personal event. The bride has performed unstinting service to the Scottish Government as a Chinese interpreter. She had no relatives in Scotland, and this was a warm, personal gesture by the First Minister.”