The late Alex Salmond, First Minister John Swinney and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
by Bill Heaney
Scottish Labour will today accuse John Swinney of wasting millions of pounds of public money to cover up SNP embarrassment.
It came after Swinney authorised yet another legal attempt to block the release of documents relating to the Salmond investigation – despite repeated rulings from the Scottish Information Commissioner.
The Information Commissioner has warned that further legal action has limited prospects of success and risks wasting even more taxpayers’ money.
Scots are entitled to ask whether this SNP Government has learned anything from its long record of ignoring legal advice, losing in court, and sending the bill to the public.
Time and again, SNP ministers have appealed legal decisions against advice—only to lose, double down, and lose again.
Scottish Labour leader said the ‘culture of cover-up must end’ and pledged that if elected he would release the Salmond Files and called on John Swinney to do the same.
While the First Minister has refused to publish full figures behind the SNP’s use of taxpayer money on doomed legal challenges, the costs already known expose a deeply troubling pattern of waste.
Taxpayers have already paid:
- £363,000 in legal costs over the section 35 case
- More than £250,000 on the unlawful independence referendum case
- Nearly £500,000 on the failed Named Person scheme
- Up to £774,000 in the For Women Scotland cases
- £630,773 for the Salmond judicial review and another £73,024 to fighting the information commissioner to keep the Salmond Files secret.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said last night: “Scots are sick of seeing their money wasted to protect SNP secrets.
“Once again, John Swinney has authorised taxpayers’ cash to be used to block the release of documents linked to the Salmond investigation – despite repeated warnings from the Scottish Information Commissioner.
“The Commissioner has warned that this legal action has little chance of success and risks wasting even more public money. But the SNP is carrying on regardless.
“This is not about one case. It is about a culture of secrecy and cover-up at the heart of SNP government.
“Time and again, SNP ministers ignore legal advice, lose in court, and then force taxpayers to pick up the bill.
“That is millions of pounds wasted—not on schools, hospitals, or policing—but on hiding the truth.
“The obvious question is this: what are they so desperate to keep secret?
“If the SNP has nothing to hide, it should stop fighting the Information Commissioner, stop wasting public money, and publish the Salmond files.
“This constant secrecy, obstruction and cover-up is eroding trust in politics and costing Scots dearly.
“Scotland deserves better than a government that uses the courts to hide its failures.
“It is time for transparency, accountability, and the truth.
“As First Minister, I’ll publish the Salmond Files that the SNP desperately don’t want you to see, will John Swinney promise the same?
“Scotland cannot afford a third decade of SNP cover-up.
“On May 7th, voters have the chance to end the waste, fix our public services and choose a new direction with a Scottish Labour government.”