John Swinney has been blasted for spending taxpayer cash on canvas prints of himself for ministerial offices at the Scottish Parliament.
The First Minister spent £588.94 on six large prints, showing him delivering speeches and visiting schools, farms, Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Harland & Wolff, and the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music.
Five were hung in a waiting room, while one — featuring his A Budget for Hope speech — takes pride of place in his private office, reports the Scottish Express.
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser slammed the spend, saying: “Scots facing rising bills under the SNP will be furious that John Swinney has billed them for glossy photos of himself. Does his vanity know no bounds? Taxpayers shouldn’t have to fork out so he can build a shrine to himself. This is just another example of the SNP wasting public money. John Swinney should pay for his own self-portraits next time.”
The move has drawn comparisons with former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, nicknamed “Showbiz” Sturgeon for her love of selfies with celebrities including Greta Thunberg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Alan Cumming.
Murdo Fraser MSP -Credit:Perthshire Advertiser
Under Scottish Government rules, ministers can spend public money on furniture — including pictures — for their offices. But critics say the prints form part of a wider push by the SNP to showcase their achievements, including a recent £144,287 TV advert portraying Scotland as “kind and welcoming.”
A Scottish Government spokesman defended the purchases, saying: “These prints show the First Minister meeting the people of Scotland, whose priorities guide and drive the work of the Scottish Government.”
But opposition parties said the spend is out of touch with struggling Scots facing rising bills, describing the prints as a display of vanity at the public’s expense.