THE Scottish Tories have been accused of "shameless" hypocrisy over their support for the environment after a senior MP benefited from a donation from a climate change sceptic.

MP John Lamont’s local party received £2,000 from currency expert Neil Record, who has helped fund the controversial Global Warming Policy Foundation.

The GWPF describes the science behind global warming as “contested” and states that “this issue” has not been “settled”.

SNP MSP Graeme Dey said: “What do the Scottish Tories and a foundation described as ‘the UK’s most prominent source of climate change denial’ have in common? They’ve got the same guy backing them. This tells you all you need to know about what’s driving the party’s policy of fiercely opposing onshore wind."

Party leader Ruth Davidson will this week champion her pro-environment credentials by giving an address to the Scottish Green Energy Awards.

Her speech will likely be seen as part of a Tory drive to produce fresh policies to help Davidson become the next First Minister.

However, she is under pressure over her party receiving cash from an individual who challenges climate change science.

According to Lamont's register of interest, he declared a £2,000 donation from Record that was made to his local party in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk earlier this year.

In 2014, Record, the founding chairman of a currency management company, was revealed as one of the funders of the GWPF, which is chaired by former Tory chancellor Nigel Lawson.

The GWPF website states: “We are an all-party and non-party think tank and a registered educational charity which, while open-minded on the contested science of global warming, is deeply concerned about the costs and other implications of many of the policies currently being advocated.”

It adds: “The GWPF does not have an official or shared view about the science of global warming – although we are of course aware that this issue is not yet settled.

“On climate science, our members and supporters cover a broad range of different views, from the IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] position through agnosticism to outright scepticism.”

The GWPF, which is hostile to onshore wind developments, gave a platform this year to Myron Ebell, who is credited as being the architect of President Trump’s attacks on environmental regulations.

In a letter in 2013, Record wrote: “I became interested in climate change perhaps 6 or 7 years ago, and started reading the (mainly scientific) literature on the topic. It struck me then that the hypothesis that man-made increases in CO2 in the atmosphere were going to cause catastrophic warming was made on short, and very ‘noisy', data."

In his letter, he confirmed being a GWPF donor and added: “[If] you choose to make the hypothesis that anthropogenic CO2 emissions are not changing the global temperature, then in my opinion there is also insufficient evidence to refute this.”

According to the Electoral Commission Record had donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Tories.

Lamont ran Davidson’s leadership campaign in 2011 and was her biggest supporter when he was an MSP. He swapped Holyrood for Westminster in June and is believed to be her “eyes and ears” in the Commons.

The SNP's Dey responded: “The Tories are shameless hypocrites when it comes to tackling change. And Ruth Davidson has an absolute brass neck to lap up the plaudits at Scotland’s top green energy awards next week while her MPs are pocketing cash from climate change sceptics.”

Dr Richard Dixon, the Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “It is deeply disappointing that the Scottish Tories have a connection to Nigel Lawson’s discredited climate sceptic group. The Global Warming Policy Foundation continue to peddle the idea that climate change isn't real or that even if it is it’s not worth doing anything about.

"This is a disgrace given the hundreds of thousands who die or are forced into desperate migration every year because of climate change. No credible political party can have anything to do with the GWPF or its supporters."

Asked whether Lamont wanted to comment on the donation, and whether Davidson would commit her party's elected representatives to not accepting cash from climate science sceptics, a Scottish Tory spokesman said:

“The Scottish Conservatives have come up with more environmental policies than anyone in the last year, something Ruth looks forward to pointing out next week.”