SNP accused of being ‘arrogant and entitled’ after previously hidden costs found to be part of £14m spent by civil servants on credit cards
Almost £10,000 of taxpayers’ money was spent on luxury VIP travel services for Nicola Sturgeon, new figures have shown.
The costs were among more than £14 million of spending by Scottish civil servants on credit cards, which also included nail polish, yoga classes and a driving theory test for a staff member. Civil servants also purchased multiple copies of a book collection of Ms Sturgeon’s speeches with public funds.
The £9,898 of spending on airport services for the former First Minister, who was arrested in June as part of an unrelated investigation into SNP finances, had not previously been disclosed by civil servants.
The airport services are provided by a firm that promises to treat its clients “like royalty”. They offer to “whisk” customers through check-in and security, then to a VIP lounge and on to the “awaiting flight”.