Tory MSP quits after he’s caught lobbying for firm he had £50,000 stake in
Rural spokesman quits after he’s caught lobbying for company he has £50k stake in
TORY MSP and farmer Peter Chapman resigns as his party’s rural economy spokesman after the Daily Record reveals he urged councillors to back plans for a business he owns shares in.
A TORY MSP quit the party’s front bench yesterday after the Record discovered he had exploited his position to lobby for a business he has shares in.
Peter Chapman stood down as rural economy spokesman after we exposed how he urged councillors in Aberdeenshire to approve a controversial planning application without revealing his vested interest.
The farmer spoke last week to several members of the council’s Garioch area committee about the proposals by Aberdeen and Northern Marts (ANM) Group.
The farming co-operative are expanding their operation at Thainstone, near Inverurie.
Chapman rang councillors to promote the scheme without mentioning he had a £50,000 stake in ANM.
He left a message on an SNP councillor’s phone in which he insisted the project was important for local jobs.
He added: “This is a very important part of the strategy for the group going forward and I’m just hoping that this application gets looked on in a positive manner.”
The Record made the Scottish Conservatives aware of the contents of Chapman’s voicemail at about noon yesterday, after receiving a copy of the recording.
Chapman, 68, resigned from his front bench role about four hours later. He remains a North East Scotland MSP.
In his resignation letter to party leader Ruth Davidson, Chapman admitted he had made calls to several councillors without mentioning his connection to the group.
He stressed he did not stand to gain financially from the planning application and insisted he is convinced it will be beneficial to the area.
He added: “In my conversations with the councillors last week, I didn’t tell them about this interest.
“It was not my intention to hide this: indeed, anyone can see the details of my investment on the Scottish Parliament register of interests. I can say hand on heart that my only thought was to support a local business and improve our local economy.
“Nonetheless, it’s quite clear with hindsight that I should have made my financial interest clear in the phone calls and that was a foolish oversight on my behalf not to do so.
“I failed to maintain the high standards of transparency that are expected of MSPs. As a result, I cannot in all conscience continue in post, hence my reason for offering my resignation.”
He added: “I deeply regret this incident and I only hope people will see it for what it is: an honest mistake made while trying to help my local constituents and the Aberdeenshire economy.”
Davidson said she accepted the resignation with “regret”.
In her response, she added: “I fully accept that you acted in this instance on behalf of your constituents to promote local employment – to no financial benefit to yourself – and it is a mark of your integrity that you choose to step down, rather than allow for any hint of impropriety.”
But the Scottish Tory leader
was last night urged to “clean up her party” after a series of transparency scandals.
SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson said: “The time has now come for Ruth Davidson to clean up her party. She really needs to get a grip of her selfinterested colleagues on the Tory benches.
“The Tories think that they can do what they want and get away with it – but time and time again they get caught out.
“Peter Chapman is not the first, and I doubt he’ll be the last.
“This latest example is an incredibly serious issue – and shows just how far Ruth Davidson’s party are prepared to go in order to feather their own nests.
“Peter Chapman joins his Tory colleagues in doing what he can as an MSP to put the interests of his business ahead of those of his constituents – and it’s not on.”
Labour MSP Colin Smyth said: “This sudden announcement provides more questions than answers.
“Ruth Davidson’s band of Tory MSPs are well known for their long registers of interests – and she must be furious with him over this latest revelation.
“The public deserve to know how this situation came about, who knew about it and when – and whether any other Tory MSPs have been engaging in similar behaviour on other issues.”
A Scottish Greens spokesman said: “It’s no surprise that a Tory has been found lobbying without declaring his financial interests, instead of serving his constituents.
“The party of landed wealth, cruel social policies and contempt for the Scottish Parliament are full of people who view being an MSP as a hobby rather than public service.
“No amount of shuffling of Ruth Davidson’s pack will change that fact.”