SNP spent over £35,000 on helicopter for Nicola Sturgeon

THE SNP spent £35,580 on the helicopter which transported Nicola Sturgeon during last year's General Election, it has emerged.

The SNP chartered the helicopter in the latter days of the election campaign. Picture: Getty Images

A further £10,000 was spent on hiring The Edinburgh International Climbing Centre for the launch of the Nationalists’ 2015 election manifesto.

In all, Ms Sturgeon’s party spent £1.475 million during its campaign which resulted in the SNP landslide which all but wiped Labour and the Lib Dems, leaving them with just one seat each north of the border.

Spending figures released by the Electoral Commission, revealed that the biggest spenders were the Conservatives with £15,587,956, ahead of Labour’s £12,087,340, the Liberal Democrats’ £3,529,106 and Ukip’s £2,851,465.

The grand total of £39,023,564 outstripped the £34,463,890 spent on the 2010 campaign by almost £5 million.

But 2015 was still cheaper than the record-breaking 2005 campaign when £42 million was lavished on wooing voters.