Former SNP MSP Chic Brodie rejects claims over expenses

A leading SNP politician has been caught up in a row over expenses after paying out £87,616 of taxpayers’ cash to a party colleague’s firm.

Chic Brodie, a South of Scotland MSP before Holyrood dissolved last week, handed the sum to start-up company Caledonii Resources, which is 90 per cent owned by Corri Wilson, the SNP MP for Ayr.

The money was spread out in payments over several years and largely before she entered parliament, although she was an SNP councillor. Mr Brodie says he paid Ms Wilson as “outsourced contract staff” to do constituency casework and arrange meetings.

An SNP spokesman said Mr Brodie and Ms Wilson acted “in line with parliamentary rules.”