‘Sleekit’ Swinney slips out £ 1.7 m expense for army of spin medical professionals during by-election
The First Minister has actually been dubbed ‘sleekit’ after the average £ 100,000 costs for each of his 17 spin-doctors was slipped out under cover of the Hamilton by-election.
Updated: 20:41, 8 June 2025 e-mail View remarks The First Minister has been called ‘sleekit’ after the average £ 100,000 expense for each of his 17 spin-doctors was slipped out under cover of the Hamilton by-election. The ‘outrageous’ information were silently released as Scotland got up to Labour shock win over the SNP on Friday. An obscure parliamentary written response revealed taxpayers were charged more than £ 1.7 million for 17 special consultants, referred to as SpAds, in the last financial year. Appointed by the First Minister, SpAds are short-lived civil servants who are not bound by neutrality rules and provide explicit political guidance and brief the media. Scottish Tory financing spokesman Craig Hoy stated: ‘The SNP have actually lost a shameful amount of taxpayers’ money on their army of spin-doctors. ‘You ‘d be forgiven for believing sleekit Swinney snuck out these bombshell figures on a day when people’s minds were elsewhere.’ Labour directly won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election in the early hours of Friday morning by 602 votes, defying expectations that the SNP would hold the seat. The SpAd expenses were released through a ‘Federal government motivated question’, a gadget that lets ministers make info public with very little fanfare. John Swinney dealt with criticism after the typical £ 100,000 expense for each of his 17 spin-doctors was slipped out under cover of the Hamilton by-election Labour’s Davy Russell was the surprise victor in the Hamilton by-election recently On June 5, the day of the by-election, a question tabled in the name of SNP loyalist Rona Mackay asked the overall expense of utilizing unique consultants in 2024/25. The next day, as political leaders read the outcome, minister for parliamentary business Jamie Hepburn, who was SNP campaign organizer in the by-election, replied. He revealed the total expense was £ 1,745,042, which included wage expenses, company national insurance, and company pension contributions. Nine SpAds were paid between £ 71,393 and £ 78,719, 7 between £ 84,983 and £ 97,644, and one – more than likely chief of personnel Colin McAllister – between £ 108,781 and £ 116,435. Ministers are currently paid £ 109,584. When Ms Mackay, the MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, asked the same concern last year it was not until September that she received a reply. Click here to go to the Scotland web page for the most recent news and sport Ad Scottish Labour deputy Dame Jackie Baillie stated: ‘Scots are ill of bearing the cost for an SNP federal government that is still stopping working to deliver. ‘And this sleekit attempt to sneak these find out throughout a by-election will not hide the fact that the SNP can not be trusted with taxpayers’ cash.’ Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie added: ‘The SNP are investing more effort in making reasons for their failures in federal government.’ The SpAd bill has more than trebled given that the SNP concerned power in 2007, when Alex Salmond had seven full-time special advisors costing £ 566,000. The expense last year was lower than 2023/24, when Humza Yousaf used a record 19 SpAds costing £ 1,906,963. SpAds are exempt from political neutrality rules and can encourage ministers on whatever from political strategy to speech-writing and policy. Critics think they have actually been main to developing a ‘secret Scotland’ culture within the SNP Government. In 2022, the Scottish Info Commissioner discovered ‘systemic and considerable failures’ in the method the SNP Government reacts to freedom of details (FoI) demands. This consisted of proof that lots of FoI actions were sent out to SpAds for comment before they were issued. A Scottish Federal government spokesperson stated: ‘Due to the visit of a new First Minister in Might 2024, there were a number of modifications to the Unique Adviser group. ‘The number and overall expense of special advisers reduced in comparison to the previous year.’ SNP Labour Share or discuss this post: ‘Sleekit’ Swinney slips out £ 1.7 m costs for army of spin medical professionals during by-election e-mail Add remark Remarks 0 Share what you believe No remarks have actually up until now been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your ideas, or argument this problem live on our message boards. Add your remark Enter your comment By posting your remark you consent to our rules and regulations. Submit Remark Clear Close Do you want to immediately post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as normal. No Yes Close Do you wish to immediately publish your MailOnline remarks to your Facebook Timeline? 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Nine SpAds were paid in between £ 71,393 and £ 78,719, seven in between £ 84,983 and £ 97,644, and one – most likely chief of personnel Colin McAllister – between £ 108,781 and £ 116,435. SNP Labour Share or remark on this short article: ‘Sleekit’ Swinney slips out £ 1.7 m expense for army of spin physicians throughout by-election e-mail Include remark Comments 0 Share what you believe No comments have so far been sent. Add your comment Enter your comment By posting your comment you agree to our home guidelines. Send Remark Clear Close Do you desire to instantly post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your remark will be published to MailOnline as normal We will immediately post your remark and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the exact same time it is posted on MailOnline.
