SCOTTISH Labour has accused MSPs who have second jobs as “serving the people as a part-time hobby” after it was revealed seven Tory Holyrood politicians top up salaries with extra employment.

As of the start of November, seven Scottish Conservative MSPs had second jobs alongside their Holyrood job and salary.

Tories Alexander Burnett, Donald Cameron, Finlay Carson, Sandesh Gulhane, Jamie Halcro Johnston, Liam Kerr and Edward Mountain all had second jobs registered on their interests as of November 1.

SNP MSP Michelle Thomson, who was elected to Holyrood in May, is a “sole trader of Thomson Holdings”, a property investment company according to her register of interests. Ms Thomson received between £10,000 and £15,000 for the role per year, and will spend one hour per month working in the job.

She is also a director of a property management company, Senza Rit Ltd – with her register of interests adding she would “expect to receive remuneration of between £1,001 and £2,000 per annum in the form of life cover” adding “I do not play an active role in running the business”.

Her SNP colleague, Emma Harper, undertakes voluntary work as a registered nurse while several MSPs from different parties registered earnings for their role as a serving councillor.

Mr Burnett received around £192,000 annually for his additional employment including up to £25,000 as a director of Bancon Developments Holdings Limited and between £170,000 and £180,000 as owner and sole trader of AJA Burnett Estates – a property leasing and forestry venture.

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He also received £2,000 per annum in private medical insurance as his role as director and chairman of North Banchory Company Limited.

Mr Cameron is a non-executive director of investment company Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust which pockets him between £25,000 and £30,000 per annum.

He was also receiving between £25,000 and £30,000 per year for his role as non-executive director of Murray Income Trust until he “retired from the role” on November 2.

Mr Carson has received annual dividends of £2,000 for the last two years as director of an IT consultancy firm and is a partner in J and F Carson, a farming and property letting partnership for which he received £13,000 from the partnership in 2020.

Mr Halcro Johnston is a partner in a farming venture on Orkney for which he receives “a benefit in kind of accommodation in a property owned by the partnership” as well as contributions towards some utility bills – making up between £3,000 and £5,000.

Mr Kerr expects to receive dividends from a legal services company of between £500 and £2,000 per annum.

Mr Mountain owns half of a rod and line salmon fishing operation in Moray, which “yields a gross annual income in the range of £230,001 to £240,000”.

But due to the pandemic, “the estimated gross annual income in 2020 is no more than £40,000”.

Dr Gulhane is a self-employed GP and works for a GP surgery in Glasgow, earning between £30,000 and £35,000 per annum.

Scottish Labour business manager Neil Bibby said: “There is no greater privilege and duty than to serve the people of Scotland as an MSP – that so many Tory members are happy to pocket thousands working second jobs at the same time is shameful.

“This is nothing other than the same Tory sleaze we have seen revealed at Westminster in recent weeks.

“It is high time that Douglas Ross got his house in order and clamped down on these MSPs who view serving the people as a part-time hobby.”

But the Scottish Tories have accused Labour of hypocrisy after it was revealed Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the UK party has received a six-figure sum for his work as a lawyer.

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A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: “These payments are all in the public domain because they have been declared transparently through the Scottish Parliament.

“It’s jaw-dropping hypocrisy to hear this attack from a Labour party led across the UK by a lawyer who raked in more than £115,000 for second jobs.

“And Labour should apologise for trying to smear Dr Sandesh Gulhane for being an NHS doctor. His frontline experience is incredibly valuable in holding the SNP Government to account.

"While Humza Yousaf goes on PR photo ops and Labour launch desperate political attacks, Dr Gulhane treats patients in Scotland’s NHS every week, and uses his medical expertise to put forward leading proposals like his plan for a network of long Covid clinics.”

In an earlier version of this article, we stated that ’seven Scottish Conservative MSPs and one SNP MSP had second jobs alongside their Holyrood job and salary”.

That was incorrect as we failed to highlight that in compiling the list, drawn from MSPs’ entries in the register of interest, we had excluded 10 sitting SNP local councillors elected to Holyrood.

In addition, we had not included Emma Harper SNP MSP who does voluntary work as a registered nurse and as a member of the NHS vaccination team.

We should have either made that clear or included them all and we apologise to Mrs Thomson for wrongly singling her out as the only SNP MSP who had a second job alongside their Holyrood job and salary.

There was no reason for their exclusion as they all have a declared second job.