John Swinney has said he was “stunned” to hear that Sir Keir Starmer had accepted clothing donations.

The First Minister said that Sir Keir has now done the right thing, after it emerged that he and his most senior ministers will no longer accept donations to pay for their clothes, but that it should never have happened in the first place.

The Prime Minister and his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer, have faced scrutiny over the acceptance of gifts, including clothing, from prominent Labour donor and peer Lord Alli.

Neither Sir Keir Starmer, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner nor Chancellor Rachel Reeves will accept such donations in the future.

Mr Swinney said he was very surprised when news of the donations first emerged.

He said: “I think, like most members of the public, my jaw dropped when I heard this story emerging.

“I just never, ever thought this happened. I just was stunned by it. So I’m not surprised they’re stopping doing it, because it’s completely ridiculous, and I certainly don’t think that this is the way that well-paid public servants should be operating.”

Asked whether the Prime Minister and senior ministers have done the right thing by saying they will no longer accept clothing he said: “Yes, but they shouldn’t have been doing it in the first place.”

Mr Swinney said he has never been offered donations of clothing.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has come under scrutinyPrime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has come under scrutiny (Image: (Phil Noble/PA)) Sir Keir says he has followed all the rules on accepting donations.
 
In recent weeks the Prime Minister, an avid Arsenal fan, has also come under pressure for accepting more than £35,000 of free football tickets over the last Parliament.

Although he is an Arsenal season ticket holder, Sir Keir told the BBC on Thursday that security concerns meant he could no longer watch games from the stands without a large and expensive police presence.

He told the BBC he was “not going to ask the taxpayer to indulge me to be in the stands when I could go and sit somewhere else where the club and the security say it’s safer for me to be”.

Mr Swinney said that he has not received sporting tickets as donations, though he has attended matches to which he was invited in his capacity as First Minister, such as when he was invited to the Scotland v Poland game by the Scottish Football Association.

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Speaking in Glasgow on Saturday, he was asked if he would stop attending such events, and said he would carry on doing so in his official capacity.

He replied: “That’s an event I’ve been invited to in my capacity as First Minister. So I’m certainly going to carry on doing that, because I will fulfil my duties as First Minister.”

He said that politicians have got to be “absolutely transparent” about such matters.

The First Minister added: “There are very clear rules about all of these things, and they should set out exactly what they’re doing in that respect.”

John Swinney joined activists on Saturday John Swinney joined activists on Saturday (Image: Jane Barlow/PA)

The SNP leader spoke at an event with fellow MSPs and campaigners in Glasgow on Saturday for what the SNP describes as a national “day of action” by the party.

He said he wants to make sure people see independence as the solution to day-to-day challenges as the SNP launches a new leaflet on the issue.

Mr Swinney said: “Ten years on from the independence referendum, people are thinking about the future of Scotland, and I want to make sure that message resonates throughout our country.

“So the SNP is embarking on a whole amount of campaigning activity to set out the advantages and the opportunities of independence to the people of Scotland.

“Particularly, I want us to make sure that we reach people who don’t yet believe in independence, as to the future of Scotland, and to make sure we can put those convincing arguments to them and I’m really pleased with the work that the party is now doing, to reach out and to communicate that message to wider audience.”

The leaflet highlights five key things independence supporters say would be different if Scotland was no longer part of the UK, pledging this would result in cheaper energy prices and the removal of nuclear weapons from Scotland’s waters.

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It also promises that in an independent Scotland the NHS would always be free at the point of use, economic growth would be boosted by no longer being part of a “broken Westminster system” and Scots would always get the government they vote for.

It comes as the SNP seeks to recover from defeat in the 2024 general election, the first poll in Scotland it has lost since 2010, with a result which saw SNP MPs fall in number from 48 in 2019 to just nine.

Asked whether there is much appetite for talk of independence when many people are more concerned about issues such as the cost-of-living crisis and day-to-day challenges, Mr Swinney said an independent Scotland could offer a solution to these.

He said: “My priority is to make sure that independence is viewed as the solution to the day-to-day challenges that people face in their lives.

“So if people are concerned, as I understand that people are, about the cost of living, it’s vital that they see independence as the solution to that particular challenge and that difficulty, so that’s an issue.

“An approach of that type makes independence relevant to the everyday concerns of members of the public within Scotland, and that’s the way in which I think we’ll build confidence and support around independence.”