John Swinney 'confident' SNP candidates have not broken rules over election stamps

The First Minister was responding amid reports in several newspapers that his office manager told SNP colleagues in a WhatsApp group that “the stamp fairy” was very helpful when it came to campaigning.

Reports suggest Elaine Wylie, who has worked for Mr Swinney for decades was asked by SNP Drugs Minister Christine McKelvie’s office manager Marianne Paton what she should do with spare postage stamps.

Wylie responded: “The stamp fairy is very useful when it comes to campaigns” and ended the message with a winking emoji with its tongue sticking out.

Ms Paton said: “Hahaha I know, even that won’t make a dent in them. I’ll whisper the amount I have next time we meet”.

In an email, seen by The Scotsman, a whistleblower, believed to be an SNP staff member, claims that stamps bought on parliamentary expenses had been passed to SNP general election candidates for campaigning activities, such as sending letters to voters.

MSPs can spend up to £5,500 a year on postage and stationery. Holyrood rules state that they “must be used only for parliamentary duties and must not be used for any other purpose, including party political purposes”.

But speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Mr Swinney said he has been told that no-one in the SNP has used taxpayer-funded stamps for election campaigning.

He said: “I’ve obviously discussed this with my staff and I’ve been assured that no parliamentary stamps that have bee provided by parliament have been used to support election purposes.

“Obviously, the parliament has said that they’re looking into this matter and obviously we will provide parliament with any assistance that they require as they undertake those inquiries.”

Pressed over the “stamp fairy” comments, Mr Swinney added: “We campaign on a regular basis in my capacity as a member of parliament so we are engaging with the public on a countless range of different issues.

"I think these are humorous remarks made in a WhatsApp channel. What’s important is the reassurance that I’ve had that parliamentary stamps have not been used for election purposes.”

Asked if he was certain that the SNP has not used parliament stamps for party campaigning, Mr Swinney said: “I’m confident of that.”

He added: “We’ve obviously been engaging in a fundraising campaign to support the election campaign – it’s been supported by the many members we have around the country.

"The Scottish National Party is fortunate that we have the largest membership of any political party in Scotland, indeed, we’ve got more members than all other parties combined. Those members have been supporting our election campaign and enabling us to have the resources available to us – generated and raised from within our party membership base – to support us in our campaigning activity.”

Mr Swinney was also put under pressure over his plans for independence, having suggested at his party’s manifesto launch last week that even if the SNP falls back in the general election, there is still a mandate for independence from the 2021 Holyrood election.

Conservative leader Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer have both insisted they will reject any calls from Mr Swinney for another referendum or to open up talks on Scotland becoming an independent country.

The SNP leader said that leaving the UK was “an essential solution to issues people face in their lives today” and pointed to the cost-of-living crisis and other issues as “all problems created by Westminster decision-making making” such as “forcing us out of the EU against the will of the people of Scotland”.

Despite forecasting a majority of seats for the SNP would strengthen the case for independence, Mr Swinney insisted he was “not going to pre-judge the outcome” if his party failed to hang onto a majority of Scottish seats.

Pointing to the 2021 Holyrood election that secured a pro-independence majority of MSPs, Mr Swinney added: “I think that democratic mandate from the people of Scotland clearly given has got to be delivered.

“I think this election is an opportunity for us to advance those arguments. I think Westminster should remove the obstacles that are stopping Scotland from having that choice.”

Asked about the “democratic logic” that if the SNP loses support at the general election, there is a loss of support for independence, Mr Swinney claimed Westminster would be “blocking the democratic aspirations of the people of Scotland” if it did not acknowledge the Holyrood mandate.

Speaking on LBC, Mr Swinney added: “Keir Starmer accepts that the United Kingdom is a voluntary union, it is a bringing together of the countries of the United Kingdom, in which Scotland is entitled to exercise our right to say ‘well, actually, we want to be governed differently as a consequence of our votes’.

“That should not be thwarted by the actions of the United Kingdom government.”

But Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar rejected that the SNP has a mandate at all for a referendum to be held.

Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, Mr Sarwar said: “I don’t support independence, I don’t support a referendum – there isn’t a consistent majority for independence, there isn’t a majority for a referendum right now.

"I don’t think we should use people’s votes, in the middle of a pandemic, when many of them were saying thank you and are actually feeling betrayed now by that thank you in a Covid pandemic election.”

Mr Sarwar stressed that “the vast majority of people in this country want change”, adding that “they want to get away from this Tory government”.

Mr Sarwar said that the way for Scotland to leave the UK is if that position becomes “the settled will of the Scottish people”.

He added: “The only settled will of the people of Scotland is an overwhelming majority for change.

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: “The Scottish public will be dismayed to hear John Swinney again double down on the SNP’s independence obsession.

“Breaking up the UK is his top priority and he insisted he will use every seat the SNP wins to pursue it.

“But there is a huge opportunity for voters to end the SNP’s demands for independence for good – by voting Scottish Conservative in key seats up and down the country.

“If elected, Scottish Conservative MPs will focus on the issues that matter to ordinary Scots – like fixing our ailing public services and growing the economy – issues which have been shamefully ignored by the SNP.”

LibDems MSP, Willie Rennie, said Mr Swinney’s “flat interview showed just how irrelevant his agenda is in this election campaign”.

He added: “He’s going backwards and he knows it.

“The SNP can deliver nothing except a desperate package of broken promises. Even its biggest promises are drifting into fantasy. They have no plan, no vision and no energy.”