SNP's minister lunch auction is slammed

ALEX SALMOND came under fire today after bidders at a charity auction paid £9,000 to have lunch with the First Minister at the Scottish Parliament.

A separate lunch with Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was also sold for around the 2,000 mark.

The money was raised for the SNP's election campaign in one of its target seats.

The Scottish Parliament does not allow party fundraising on its premises, but the SNP said lunch with parliamentarians had been a "fundraising opportunity" across the parties for many years and was not breaking any rules.

However, opposition politicians claimed the perception of cash for access was damaging to the parliament and the office of First Minister.

Labour former Scottish Secretary Des Browne said: "This is industrial-scale fundraising using parliamentary facilities and an abuse of public money."