ALEX Salmond has defended his status as Scotland's highest-paid politician after taking up a high profile post as host of a London radio station phone-in show.

No other politician gave as much to charities and good causes, he said.

With his £74,000 a year salary as an MP and around £108,000 from his newspaper articles, Mr Salmond already earns more than David Cameron, whose wage is £149,440, and Nicola Sturgeon, who receives £144,687.

But the former SNP leader, who stressed everything he earned was above board and registered properly, pointed out that some 60 per cent of his parliamentary earnings over the last year — his MSP’s salary and his First Minister’s pension — had gone to charity.

“I may be the highest-paid politician in Scotland but I am the one who has given far more to charities and good causes,” he declared.

Most of his charitable giving is channelled through the Mary Salmond Trust, a charity set up in 2007 in honour of his late mother, which helps community and youth organisations across the north-east of Scotland. Since its inception it has helped more than 240 local organisations and individuals and raised more than £108,000. In the last year alone, it raised almost £40,000.

The MP for Gordon also stressed how he had given and raised several more thousands of pounds for a variety of other good causes. For example, an annual auction of Christmas cards based on an original work of art had raised £12,000 for charity.

Mr Salmond's office confirmed he would be paid for the show, but the contract was still being negotiated and his earnings would be registered in the usual way.

Mr Salmond joked he still had some way to go in terms of earnings to catch up with Boris Johnson, the London mayor and MP for Uxbridge in London, but he too gives an undisclosed amount of his earnings to charitable good causes.

Because Mr Johnson also has a dual mandate, he only receives a third of his £140,000 mayoral salary on top of his MP pay, bringing in around £120,000 a year.

According to the Commons register of interests, in addition he receives £22,916 a month for articles for the Telegraph Media Group — which works out at just under £275,000 a year — and during 2015 he received from book advances, subrights and royalties a further £270,000.

Mr Salmond has become the latest political signing to LBC; Nick Clegg had a show when he was Deputy Prime Minister and Mr Johnson as well as Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, also have slots on the station.

In announcing his new role, LBC insisted there would be no topics off limits and Mr Salmond pledged his phone-in would be honest and straight-talking with a bit of fun thrown in.

He said: “When I was First Minister of Scotland, there were times when I had to bite my tongue. However, now unburdened from office, I can shoot straight from the hip. I am looking forward to discussing all of the issues and taking calls from every corner of these islands.”

However, his political opponents were disparaging about his new broadcasting career. Jackson Carlaw, the Scottish Conservative deputy leader, said: “Despite complaining repeatedly about austerity Britain, it seems Mr Salmond now wants to supplement his income from two political salaries and a newspaper column with a talk show.

“Maybe the SNP see inflicting the listeners of LBC with the views of our former First Minister as a valuable tactic in driving a wedge between Scotland and England.”

Tavish Scott, the Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP, said Mr Salmond’s new job would set alarm bells ringing in Bute House.

Mr Scott said: "The last thing Nicola Sturgeon will want is for him to be given free rein for his increasingly bizarre pronouncements while his SNP minders are trapped on the wrong side of the glass outside the studio."

ALEX Salmond is set to be confirmed as Scotland’s highest-paid politician once he adds his earnings from his new London phone-in radio show.

With his £74,000 a year MP’s salary and around £108,000 from his newspaper articles, he already earns more than David Cameron whose wage is £149,440 and Nicola Sturgeon who receives £144,687.

But the former SNP leader, who stressed everything he earned was above board and registered properly, pointed out that some 60 per cent of his parliamentary earnings over the last year – his MSP’s salary and his First Minister’s pension – had gone to charity.

“I may be the highest paid politician in Scotland but I’m the one who has given far more to charities and good causes,” he declared.

Most of his charitable giving is channelled through the Mary Salmond Trust, a charity set up in 2007 in honour of his late mother, which helps community and youth organisations across the north east of Scotland. Since its inception it has helped more than 240 local organisations and individuals and raised more than £108,000. In the last year alone, it raised almost £40,000.

The MP for Gordon also stressed how he had given and raised several more thousands of pounds for a variety of other good causes. For example, an annual auction of Christmas cards based on an original work of art had raised £12,000 for charity.

Mr Salmond joked he still had some way to go in terms of earnings to catch up with Boris Johnson, the London mayor and MP for Uxbridge in London but he too gives an undisclosed amount of his earnings to charitable good causes.

Because Mr Johnson also has a dual mandate, he only receives a third of his £140,000 mayoral salary on top of his MP’s pay, bringing in around £120,000 a year.

According to the Commons register of interests, in addition he receives £22,916 a month for articles for the Telegraph Media Group - which works out at just under £275,000 a year - and during 2015 he received from book advances, subrights and royalties a further £270,000.

Mr Salmond has become the latest political signing to LBC; Nick Clegg had a show when he was Deputy Prime Minister and Mr Johnson as well as Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, also currently have slots on the station.

In announcing his new role, LBC insisted there would be no topics off limits and Mr Salmond pledged his phone-in would be “honest, straight-talking with a bit of fun thrown in”.

He said: “When I was First Minister of Scotland, there were times when I had to bite my tongue. However, now unburdened from office, I can shoot straight from the hip. I am looking forward to discussing all of the issues and taking calls from every corner of these islands.”

However, his political opponents were disparaging about his new broadcasting career.

Jackson Carlaw, the Scottish Conservative deputy leader, said: “Despite complaining repeatedly about austerity Britain, it seems Mr Salmond now wants to supplement his income from two political salaries and a newspaper column with a talk show.

“Maybe the SNP see inflicting the listeners of LBC with the views of our former First Minister as a valuable tactic in driving a wedge between Scotland and England.”

Tavish Scott, the Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP, said Mr Salmond’s new job would “set alarm bells ringing in Bute House”.

“Since standing down as First Minister, Alex Salmond has pursued a vendetta against the BBC, snuggled up to the Ayatollahs in Iran and unveiled portraits of himself instead of attending debates in the Commons on Syria.

“The last thing Nicola Sturgeon will want is for him to be given free rein for his increasingly bizarre pronouncements while his SNP minders are trapped on the wrong side of the glass outside of the studio,” he added.