He will ‘transform UK’4 Tycoon gives £5k to Thomson campaign

A former Labour donor has pledged £5,000 to try to help Ross Thomson retain the Aberdeen South seat for the Conservatives.

The donation from property developer Alan Massie was registered on October 9 and a spokesman for Mr Thomson confirmed that it was for his campaign for re-election.

Mr Massie, a director of Carlton Rock who now lives in Jersey, was previously one of Labour’s top private donors.

He handed the party more than £400,000 between 2011 and 2016, and also made three donations worth a total of £20,000 to an Aberdeen Liberal Democrat branch in 2006 and 2007.

But the tycoon, who still has a house in Aberdeen, revealed in May that he had sponsored a fringe event at the Scottish Conservative conference

Alan Massie, left, backs Ross Thomson’s campaign

in the city because he had quit Labour.

He said he was now supporting the Conservatives because he did not believe Labour could be “trusted with the Union”.

Speaking to The P&J at the time, Mr Massie said he planned to back Tory candidates financially in marginal constituencies at upcoming elections, but signalled that he may also support different pro-UK candidates if they have a better chance of defeating the SNP.

SNP sources responded

by criticising the Tories for accepting cash from “donors based in tax havens”.

In June, it emerged that Mr Massie had stepped in to help Mr Thomson after he was threatened with legal action by the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford.

Mr Blackford threatened to sue him over comments made on social media and Mr Massie picked up a £1,800 bill for Mr Thomson to consult a QC.

Mr Thomson apologised to Mr Blackford and the matter was dropped.