AN SNP MSP flagged up the previous business problems of the controversial founder of the Lanarkshire Baby Bank in an email to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
In his briefing, Fulton MacGregor included a link to a newspaper story about a company co-owned by Bernadette Murphy that went bust. Days after sending the email, MacGregor showed up at a baby bank event outside Holyrood and had his photograph taken with Murphy.
The baby bank provides essentials for poor families. Murphy is a former bankrupt who had debts of more than £450,000. She recently made a plea for new premises due to the fact the agency is having to leave its current base in Coatbridge. She fronted an event outside Holyrood earlier this month, at which she and volunteers spoke to MSPs about the work of the baby bank.
Four days before the event, MacGregor, the SNP MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, emailed Sturgeon a briefing about the baby bank. He also copied in nine other SNP MSPs.
In a wide-ranging email he wrote that Murphy “always presents as a friendly and energetic individual” who had “undoubtedly” helped numerous families. He added: “As MSP for the area she is currently in I have had a duty to deal with her.”
At the bottom of the email he attached various web-links, including to pages advertising the Holyrood rally and to a petition backing the baby bank.
He also shared a link to various newspaper articles, including one about Murphy’s former firm closing its offices in 2010 and being issued with a winding-up order. He also wrote: “I would also be happy to ask a local supplementary at FMQ if thought appropriate and you felt would be a good thing to respond to.”In the end, MacGregor was one of two MSPs – the other being Childcare Minister Mark McDonald – who met the baby bank volunteers outside Holyrood.
An SNP spokesperson said: “Fulton has supported the work of volunteers at the baby bank in his constituency and has encouraged the organisation to seek registered charity status in order to open up more funding routes and secure a permanent base. He was happy to meet his constituents to discuss the future of the baby bank when they visited parliament.”
Murphy did not respond to this newspaper’s email.
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