PM defends appointment of donor to Scotland Office

The prime minister has defended the appointment of a Conservative Party donor as a Scotland Office minister.

Businessman Malcolm Offord will be given a peerage to allow him to take up the UK government role.

Boris Johnson said Mr Offord was a "guy who has a huge amount to offer" and predicted he would do a "great job".

The SNP has claimed the appointment of Mr Offord, who failed to win election to Holyrood earlier this year, was "cronyism".

Mr Offord, who founded the private equity firm Badenoch and Co, stood as a Conservative candidate for the Lothian region in May's Scottish Parliament election.

He previously ran the pro-union No Borders campaign during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and has donated thousands of pounds to the Conservative Party in recent years.

The Edinburgh-based businessman replaces Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid, who was sacked from his Scotland Office junior ministerial role during Mr Johnson's recent Cabinet reshuffle.

In an interview with BBC Scotland, the prime minister said Mr Offord was "someone who will add to the work of the government".

And he said the fact that he had previously donated to the Conservative Party "should not be any barrier".

When asked about the accusations of cronyism, Mr Johnson responded: "I understand what they say, but we have to find the best talent that we can.

"This is a guy who has a huge amount to offer and that is why he is there."

Mr Johnson also dismissed suggestions that the appointment was a "snub" to the party's Scottish MPs.

He said: "This is a job in the Lords - you have to have a certain number of ministers in the Lords because of the way our system works, and I think he'll do an excellent job."

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said Mr Offord would bring "a wealth of valuable business experience" as the country was recovering from the pandemic.

The SNP's Cabinet Office spokesman Stewart Hosie claimed Mr Offord's appointment through a seat in the House of Lords was an example of "the sleaze at the heart of the UK government".

He said: "There are already serious questions facing the Tories over the use of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money for vanity projects and Covid contracts, but to now hand out roles and peerages to party donors shows contempt for democracy.

"Boris Johnson has clearly failed to appoint someone within his own ranks and has now had to go searching for a financial associate to help counter the growing support for independence."