Holyrood officials investigate SNP’s use of resources funded by expenses

Officials at the Scottish Parliament have launched an investigation into the potential SNP “misuse” of parliamentary resources for party purposes.

A statement from the Parliament announced the move following reports which suggested a complaint had been made about the party’s use of stamps funded through MSPs’ expenses to send SNP literature in the General Election campaign.

The Times and the Daily Record reported texts from a group chat formed of office managers for SNP MSPs discussing the use of the stamps.

The party said it expects the offices of all MSPs to co-operate with a parliamentary investigation.

A spokesman for the Scottish Parliament said: “We take the use of publicly-funded resources very seriously.

“Officials are investigating the matter to establish whether there has been any misuse of parliamentary resources.”

A spokesman for the SNP’s Holyrood group said: “The parliamentary rules are crystal clear that materials, including stamps, can only be used for parliamentary purposes such as representing constituents and campaigning on their behalf.

“These (message) exchanges, whilst obviously light-hearted, are being investigated as is appropriate and we would expect the offices of MSPs of all parties to co-operate with the parliamentary corporate body.”