SNP under fire for spending just £90k on Remain campaign

The SNP has come under fire for spending just £90,830 on campaigning to remain in the European Union '“ well short of the £700,000 spending limit and less than the £98,597 the party spent on fighting the Glenrothes by-election.

Nicola Sturgeon was a vocal supporter of a Remain vote. Picture: John Devlin

The figure, which has been released by the Electoral Commission, was criticised by the SNP’s opponents.

Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said: “The SNP is behaving like leaving the EU is the end of the world for Scotland. But the party’s pitiful investment in the campaign tells another story completely.

“The SNP is not a poor organisation, yet it treated the EU referendum like it was a council by-election. Now we know Alex Neil and other senior SNP figures wanted Brexit, perhaps that explains why such little effort and cash was invested.”

SNP MSP Bill Kidd said that his party had run a “strong, positive and effective campaign”, which helped secure a 62 per cent Remain vote north of the Border.