What expensive gifts have Scotland's politicians declared?

Anas Sarwar declared the highest value of gifts of any MSP since 2021

In the wake of a row over gifts received by high-ranking members of the Labour party, people are now scrutinising the freebies accepted by politicians in Scotland.

These items, sometimes worth thousands of pounds, have to be declared on a public record.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar declared the highest value of gifts, at £10,117.48, closely followed by Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross' £10,028.72.

Government ministers are not listed on the same register, but still have to make declarations.

What gifts have MSPs received?

There has been criticism of senior Labour figures, including the prime minister and his deputy, receiving donations of clothes and other gifts.

It emerged Sir Keir Starmer had received more than £16,000 for work clothing and glasses for him, and further donations for his wife, from Labour peer Waheed Alli.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves was also gifted clothing and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner stayed in a Labour donor's New York flat during a "personal holiday".

By comparison, the gifts received by Scottish politicians are relatively small.

Among those listed on Sarwar's register of interests, originally reported by The Scotsman newspaper, are hospitality tickets for the Royal Military Tattoo, which since 2021, have totalled £4,718.48.

MSPs from the SNP, Conservatives, Lib Dems and Labour also accepted Tattoo tickets.

MSPs from most of the major political parties attended the Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Sarwar also attended a Scotland vs England football match at Hampden in 2023 as a guest of the SFA. The cost of the ticket and hospitality, estimated by the Scottish Football Association, was £399.

It has also been reported that, alongside Scotland Secretary Ian Murray, he attended a Liverpool vs Bournemouth match on Saturday.

Douglas Ross' declarations include tickets to the Open golf tournament in 2022, worth £1,000, and tickets to Wimbledon worth £475.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross accepted invitations to major sporting events

The most expensive item on his list was a £7,856.24 visit to Qatar in October 2021 to "meet ministers and officials" from the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which paid the cost.

His declarations do not include his pay and expenses for assistant refereeing.

Health Secretary Neil Gray, whose remit also includes sport, was gifted three hospitality tickets worth £150 to the world Indoor Athletics Championships last year.

Cabinet colleague Kate Forbes attended the 2024 Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield with her husband, as guests of Heineken, valued at £400.

Conservative MSPs Russell Findlay and Murdo Fraser, accepted tickets to Celtic’s 1-0 victory over Rangers at Hampden in the Scottish Cup semi-finals last April, with the gift for each Conservative MP costing £390.

Other MSPs also accepted horse racing and music award tickets.

What are the rules?

The practice of politicians accepting gifts is not unusual, neither is it forbidden but there are rules that need to be followed.

There are two types of gifts members must register. Any gift over 0.5% of a member’s salary must be registered if it could influence their role.

If multiple smaller gifts from the same source together exceed this limit, they must also be registered.

Gifts over £1,500 for political activities must also be declared.

Political gifts include items such as property, money, and hospitality. Gifts received privately or by a spouse are not included.

There is no suggestion that any of the MSPs have failed to follow these rules.

When questioned about his declarations, Anas Sarwar told BBC Scotland News that "everything is above board" and transparent.

He said: "There are many events I’ve been at for example that I’ve declared as leader of the Scottish Labour party that first ministers have been at and have not declared in the very same way.

"If you are meaning around sporting events, I’ve been at sporting events with leaders of every other political party, I’ve been at sporting events with first ministers, all three of the last first ministers in my time in the Scottish Parliament."

While members of the government also declare gifts, hospitality and trips like any other MSP, if the event is on government business it will be recorded on a separate register.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “Gifts given to ministers in their capacity as MSPs or as members of a political party fall within the rules relating to the Register of Interest of Members of the Scottish Parliament.

"Where ministers attend events in an official, government capacity these are recorded as official engagements, not hospitality."

Independent advisers who will scrutinise the declarations of ministers to avoid "actual or perceived conflicts of interest," will be included in an update Scottish Ministerial Code due to be published this year.

A ministerial grey area?

Analysis by Phil Sim, BBC Scotland political correspondent

Efforts have been made in Scotland to establish registers of lobbying and gifts – but there is a patchwork of them that can at times make things hard to pin down.

There is also a significant grey area concerning whether politicians are attending events for “work” – as representatives of the people – or in a more personal capacity.

For example, three of the six gifts registered by Anas Sarwar were tickets for the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh. Fair enough, the tickets cost thousands of pounds.

However, there is no record on the MSPs register of the fact Humza Yousaf attended the same event last summer.

Instead that appears on a register of ministerial engagements – referred to merely as “REMT 2023”, with no mention of the potential value of the tickets.

Similarly, there are no values attached to the records of Nicola Sturgeon attending the same event in 2022, and other high profile ones like the Platinum Jubilee Concert and the final of Wimbledon in 2016.

The contention from government is that ministers attend such events in an official capacity, representing the Scottish government, rather than on a jolly.

The culture secretary will attend all sorts of events that others would have to buy a ticket for, all technically in the line of duty.

If they were mere backbenchers, they would have to declare the notional cost in pounds and pence – “ministerial engagements” are clearly viewed and treated differently.

So there is a curious position where the extent to which MSPs are courted by lobbyists and businesses is an indication of their potential influence.

But there is also an imbalance when it comes to precisely what is recorded about those who actually hold power.