Daily Mail

SNP’s Blackford is rolling in the London dough

- Andrew Pierce

Like a broken record, Westminste­r’s SNP leader ian Blackford launched into one of his tiresome anti-Brexit rants at Prime Minister’s Questions last week.

Blackford lambasted Boris Johnson for inflicting ‘economic vandalism’ on Scotland and demanding a ‘detailed economic assessment of the cost to the Uk of his extreme Tory Brexit plans’.

With Blackford frothing at the mouth, you’d be forgiven for thinking the SNP bruiser — a man who’s not short of a bob or two as a former managing director of Deutsche Bank and having pocketed £1.8 million from the sale of internet provider Commsworld, of which he was non-executive chairman, this year — passionate­ly supports Scottish businesses and only Scottish businesses.

But it seems his loyalties are divided. Blackford appears more than happy to fatten his wallet south of the border — to the tune of around £3,250 a month. That’s what he earns from the Golden Charter Trust — where he has been a shareholde­r and even briefly controlled 75 per cent — which offers prepaid funeral plans. Yet the Trust is registered not in Scotland, but St James’s, London.

And what does the company — Blackford also chairs the Trustee Board — think of Brexit? ‘The Trustees do not consider that the issue of Brexit will have any significan­t impact on the Trust.’

Perhaps those ‘ Tory Brexit plans’ aren’t so awful, after all...

Comedian david Baddiel hails the unlikely win of Bill Bailey on Strictly: ‘in all seriousnes­s, a little victory over ageism. on Strictly, often, the over-50 contestant is just there to be laughed [at]: ann Widdecombe etc. Paradoxica­lly, it took a brilliant comedian to prove that you can be 55 and a serious dancer.’ is Baddiel, at 56, vying for a place on next year’s show?

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