SNP increase the pressure on Danny Alexander

The SNP is today calling on the Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, to return, what the SNP say are, 'dodgy donations' from a millionaire defender of tax avoidance. The Sunday Herald today reports that Mr Alexander took £5,000 from David Giampaolo just last month.

Mr Giampaolo is the co-author of a 2012 newspaper article arguing that it is fine for companies to avoid tax. The article stated: "Criticising corporations for avoiding tax is actually criticising them for doing what governments want."

Earlier this week, it emerged that Danny Alexander had encouraged someone who turned out to be a fake businessman at a private meeting to provide further financial support to the party - but that he did not want “to intrude on the details”. 

The story centres on the fact that the would-be donor was encouraged by a Lib Dem fundraiser to give money via relatives and backdate cheques in order to avoid electoral law on financial disclosure. And in December of last year it was reported in the Sunday Herald that Mr Alexander accepted £50,000 cash from a tax dodger.

Drew Hendry, the SNP candidate for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said: "Danny Alexander has become a serial blunderer when it comes to who he and his party should be taking money from - and all the money in the land couldn't counteract the unpopularity of the Lib Dems for imposing Tory policies on Scotland."

Continuing Mr Hendry said: "After the revelations about Lib Dem attempts to dodge the law over donations, we now have the rank hypocrisy of Danny Alexander accepting a donation from an apologist for tax avoidance - not content with having previously taken money from a tax avoider.

"He needs to return this donation immediately, otherwise his position as Chief Secretary is surely untenable." Drew Hendry added.