Scottish Conservative donor fined by Electoral Commission

A group accused of funneling 'dark money' into the Scottish Conservatives has been fined by the Electoral Commission for failing to register as a party donor.

The Irvine Unionist Club donated £100,000 to the party in 2016 to help it fight the Holyrood election, accounting for more than 10 per cent of the party's electoral spending.

Electoral law states organisations who make donations of more than £25,000 must register with the Commission.

The OpenDemocracy website made a complaint over the Irvine Unionist Club, who has been made to pay a £400 fine.

A spokeswoman for the commission said: "Unincorporated associations, such as the Irvine Unionist Club, must register with the Electoral Commission when they make political contributions of more than £25,000 in a calendar year and must report any relevant gifts that they have received.

"This ensures there is transparency about funding of political campaigning. Irvine Unionist Club failed to comply with these rules and the Electoral Commission has fined them £400."

 Another group, the Scottish Unionist Association Trust (SUAT), is under investigation by the Electoral Commission for donations to the party.

The Scottish Conservatives said the party itself was not under investigation but that the trustees at the Irvine Unionist Club had "accepted that they were at fault" and paid the fine.

The 2016 election saw the Scottish Conservatives double their seats tally at Holyrood, going from 17 MSPs to 31 and pushing Scottish Labour into third place.