'It's sickening' – Labour turns up the heat in Lunchgate row

Published on Sunday 7 February 2010 21:55

THE pressure on Alex Salmond over the parliamentary "cash for access" row increased yesterday, with political opponents describing his behaviour as sickening, and demeaning of his office.

The latest attacks came as footage of the auction at the centre of the row emerged and the SNP admitted a total of six events at the parliament had been offered for party fundraising.

In an attempt to end the row, which has seen Mr Salmond reported to the parliament's standards commissioner, the First Minister announced he had cancelled the lunches at issue.

His party also released details of further fundraising events to be held at the parliament. These include three lunches at Holyrood sold for 1,500 and a tour of the parliament by Nicola Sturgeon that fetched 260.

One of the First Minister's lunch guests was to be human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar, who paid 1,000 for the prize at a fundraiser for an SNP Westminster candidate.

Hopes that the disclosure would stop questions over the First Minister's judgment were dashed, as Labour mounted a concerted attack, and the Conservatives advised they would raise the matter at this Tuesday's parliamentary standards committee.

Amateur video pictures of the event at the Kabana restaurant in Glasgow showed the First Minister personally accepting donors' cheques and clapping approvingly at the 9,000 bid for his lunch at Holyrood. Earlier in the footage, Mr Salmond is seen slapping the table approvingly as the hammer falls on the 2,000 prize of lunch with his deputy, Ms Sturgeon.

The winner of the First Minister's prize is seen bidding at the front of the auction as the bids are increased to 9,000 by businessman Amim Hussein. As the bidding closes, whooping and cheering is heard and the auctioneer announces that the First Minister himself will tour the tables collecting donations in person.

Yesterday, the images were described as "sickening" by Labour's John Park. "I have been involved in and around politics for a good few years and I can honestly have never seen anything like it," he said.

"Alex Salmond's behaviour has demeaned the office of First Minister. The fact that he now admits that he also sold three lunches in the parliament's restaurant for 1,500 last year doesn't draw a line under the affair, it makes it worse. What we are seeing is a pattern of unacceptable behaviour from a serial offender."

He was joined by Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray, who called Mr Salmond's actions "totally unacceptable".

"What is most disturbing is the First Minister thought he could routinely sell private meetings to raise funds for the SNP," Mr Gray said. "It shows a complete lack of respect by Alex Salmond for the integrity of the office. This sort of grubby behaviour is totally unacceptable. A full investigation of cash for access to the First Minister and his deputy Nicola Sturgeon is now necessary."

But housing minister Alex Neil defended the party's conduct, insisting that every political party deployed this kind of auction to fill their coffers.

He said: "We in the SNP are not like the Labour Party – we don't have large amounts of money from the trade unions. We don't, like the Tory Party, have large amounts of money from big business, so we have to go out and raise money, primarily through our members. We are seeking clarification, as every party is, on the rules."