SCOTTISH Labour have paid £30,000 of taxpayers’ money to a former top aide to Jeremy Corbyn.
The latest parliamentary expenses show the party’s support group at Holyrood claimed the money in March to pay Simon Fletcher for “advisory consultancy services”.
Labour sources said the sum represented a year’s worth of support from the MSP group, but Mr Fletcher was also being paid by party HQ.
Mr Fletcher was Mr Corbyn’s campaign manager in his first bid for the leadership in 2015 and his chief of staff until June 2016, when he became director of campaigns.
His job was to get the Labour party ready for another election, but he quit in February last year.
Mr Fletcher was not paid by Scottish Labour under its previous leader, Kezia Dugdale, who opposed Mr Corbyn becoming UK leader.
He was hired in the first quarter after Richard Leonard, one of Mr Corbyn’s strong supporters, became Scottish leader at the end of 2017.
An SNP source said: “This is classic Labour - keeping their old pals and cronies on the books.
“I’m not convinced the services he’s providing are the answer to Labour’s woes in Scotland.”
A Scottish Tory spokesman said: “While this is all very cosy, it’s quite clear that no amount of highly paid help from London will induce the Scottish people to vote Labour.”
A Labour source said: “It is entirely normal and appropriate for Richard Leonard to appoint senior and experienced political advisers and staff - the surprise would be if he didn’t.
“It’s no surprise that the Tories and the SNP are joining together to attack socialists working for Scottish Labour.”
- Unspun: the political diary
The payment emerged when Holyrood published the final tranche of expenses for 2017-18, showing MSPs claimed a record £16m, 2 per cent more than the previous year.
The total bill for taxpayers was £16,159,707, an increase of £327,611.
The parliament stressed this was below the rate of inflation, which was 2.5% over the year.
Among the unusual expenses between January and March this year were LibDem Mike Rumbles filing a claim 38p for postage.
Over the year, MSPs claimed £247,000 for hotels, £14,000 in taxis, £3700 in being acredited as living wage employers, and £195 on trams.
Of the five party leaders, Scottish LibDem Willie Rennie claimed the most in expenses. The North East Fife MSP billed the Parliament for £22,711 over 2017-18.
Each MSP was also entitled to claim £87,300 for their staff costs and £5,500 on postage.
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