Salmond slammed for using official limo on SNP business

Published on Friday 12 September 2008 10:08

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond was under fire today after it was revealed he twice used his government limo to get to the SNP's campaign headquarters in the Glasgow East by-election.

Lothians Labour MSP George Foulkes said he was writing to the Scottish Government's top civil servant, asking him to investigate.

Mr Salmond's aides insisted the rules allowed ministers to use official cars whenever they were going to or from a government engagement.

Details of the First Minister's limo trips emerged in a written parliamentary answer after Mr Foulkes had asked for a breakdown of the First Minister's car travel in the run-up to the July 24 Glasgow East by-election, including the origin, destination and purpose of each journey.

The answer showed that at 2.30pm on July 18, Mr Salmond went by official car from the Scottish Government's Glasgow offices at Meridian Court to 2 Baillieston Road, the Nationalists' by-election campaign HQ.

At 3pm on July 21, he travelled from 57 Queen Street, Glasgow, to the same address. In both cases the purpose was listed simply as "travelling from official meeting".

Mr Foulkes said: "I am asking why he was using his ministerial car to go to the SNP's by-election office.

"I am writing to Sir John Elvidge, asking him to look into why he was allowed to do that and whether it is appropriate.

"When I was a minister it was made very clear to me I could not do that. If I was going to Dundee to visit the university and wanted to go on to a party meeting afterwards, they would not take me. They said someone would have to come and pick me up."

Mr Foulkes said public duties and party activities should not be mixed up.

A spokesman for Mr Salmond said the trips were "entirely proper use of the ministerial car service".

He said: "The requirement is you are going to or from a ministerial engagement. There is no issue here whatsoever. It's 100 per cent within the guidelines.

"It's the system we inherited and the system we apply. George Foulkes should examine the record of his Labour colleagues in the previous administration and at Westminster."

In June, the Evening News revealed that Mr Salmond had travelled by plane to Manchester when he went to watch Rangers in the UEFA Cup Final and used his chauffeur-driven car to return.

The First Minister also came under fire after it emerged he had twice taken a chauffeur-driven car from his official residence at Bute House in Charlotte Square to engagements in George Street.