Call to oust lobbyist chairing SNP’s Growth Commission
BY TOM GORDON
ACAMPAIGN to oust the corporate lobbyist who chairs the SNP’s new economic policy commission is being launched tomorrow. Activists are calling on Nicola Sturgeon to reverse her decision to put Andrew Wilson in charge of the party’s Growth Commission.
A petition setting out the demands goes live at the closetheloopholes.scot website run by the Scottish Alliance for Lobbying Transparency (Salt).
Wilson, a former SNP MSP and RBS spin doctor, is the founder and managing partner of Charlotte Street Partners (CSP), which has deep links to the SNP and the financial sector.
Former SNP communications chief Kevin Pringle became a CSP partner last year. Despite possible conflicts of interests with CSP clients, Sturgeon made Wilson chairman of the commission when she launched the SNP’s listening exercise on independence.
The commission will “consider a policy programme – with social justice at its heart – to grow the economy and reduce Scotland’s deficit to a sustainable level”, the First Minister said.
However, critics said Wilson’s pointment seemed a clear case apof via companies they control, 55.1 per cent of the shares and voting rights in the company.
The multi-millionaire tycoon, who is also the chairman and co-founder of transport giant Stagecoach, has donated about £2.6m to the SNP and effectively bankrolled the party’s 2007 and 2011 Holyrood election campaigns.
ADL’s turnover in 2015 was about £602m, up from £494.5m in the previous year, while the group’s posttax profits also rose from £10.5m to £18.5m.
In the same year, a dividend of £7.8m was approved and paid.
Baillie added: “We’ve been here before with Brian Souter and the SNP. It was just a few months ago that Brian Souter knew about a deal the SNP signed with a Chinese consortium before anyone else in Scotland.
“Meanwhile, bus passengers across Scotland are seeing routes cut and fares rise because the SNP repeatedly block Labour’s plan to regulate the industry – something Brian Souter staunchly opposes. The last decade of SNP Government has been pretty good for Brian Souter.”
A spokesperson for ADL said: “ADL is pleased to have passed stringent, transparent and independently audited criteria as part of the rigorous selection process to qualify for the £7.3m Scottish Enterprise grant.
“This grant, complemented by our own investment of £24m, will be used for several R&D projects, developing new technologies and products to respond to low-carbon requirements in the UK and international markets.” “corporate capture”. CSP is not in the Association of Professional Political Consultants or Chartered Institute of Public Relations, which publish client registers, and so does not volunteer its clients. The new petition says either CSP should reveal its clients or Wilson should be replaced.
The petition also urges the SNP Government to speed up the register of lobbying activity at Holyrood, which MSPs voted for earlier this year.
Salt member Willie Sullivan, director of the Electoral Reform Society Scotland, said: “There is a ‘sunlight’ solution to this problem – CSP can join one of the lobbying professional bodies and publish its clients. This will show the public there is no conflict of interest.”
Labour MSP Neil Findlay said: “CSP is headed up by key players in the SNP. These people have direct access to the First Minister and senior Government ministers and officials. There is a clear conflict of interest here and CSP should, in the interest of openness and transparency, immediately publish its client list or Mr Wilson should resign from his position.”
A spokesman for CSP said Wilson was chairing the commission unpaid “in a personal capacity”, adding that the company would comply with the lobbying register when it comes in.