Alex Salmond ‘paid £13,500 for newspaper columns’

ALEX Salmond received £13,500 for ‘newspaper columns and interviews’ in the first three months of 2015, it has been revealed.

Alex Salmond received payments for 'newspaper columns and interviews'. Picture: Neil Hanna

Details of the payments made to the former leader of the SNP were disclosed in Mr Salmond’s official register of interests at Westminster.

The money was paid to the Chronicles of Deer firm, a private company that receives the former First Minister’s publishing earnings.

As MP for Gordon, Mr Salmond takes home £67,000 a year, and donates both his MSP’s salary and pension to the Mary Salmond Trust charity, named in honour of his mother and founded in 2007.

The register for Mr Salmond, who was elected to represent the Gordon constituency with 27,717 votes, states: “£13,500 received by Chronicles of Deer... This related to articles and interviews in the period January to March 2015.”

A Labour spokesman told the Herald: “At a time when thousands of working families are feeling the pinch the former First Minister is doing very well for himself.

“With a newspaper column on top of jobs as an MP and MSP he looks to have settled back into Westminster life very well.”

A spokesman for Mr Salmond added: “Mr Salmond has declared his interests according to the rules. He has made it clear that he will not draw two salaries, donating his MSP salary to support youth and community causes in the North East of Scotland.

“That Trust has already benefitted over 250 organisations and individuals to the tune of over £100,000.”

Elsewhere in the registers of interest, London mayor Boris Johnson has been paid £88,000 for a book ‘as yet unwritten’ from publishing firm Hodder & Stoughton while also picking up nearly £23,000 for writing a weekly newspaper column.

• View the full Register of Members’ Financial Interests here (PDF) >>>