Swinney told to justify £20,000 pay boost he handed to SNP ministers (2025)

John Swinney is under pressure to make a statement to the Scottish Parliament over his decision to hand Ministers a massive £20,000 pay rise.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said Mr Swinney must face MSPs and justify the controversial pay lift.

He has also asked the First Minister to provide all correspondence held between Scottish Government officials and special advisers about his last-minute decision not to take the pay increase.

It comes as we last week revealed the First Minister had quietly lifted a long-standing salary freeze for SNP Ministers which allowed him to give them all a bumper salary bonus.

All 10 members of his Cabinet and 13 junior Ministers have accepted the rise, entitling them to £19,126 extra from this month, this newspaper understands.

The move will see almost £500,000 funnelled directly into their personal bank accounts rather than into the public purse.

The First Minister was ALSO set to boost his take-home pay to £155,000 until he performed a dramatic U-turn just hours after the Mail on Sunday asked the SNP leader about the pay bonanza.

Now, in a letter to Mr Swinney, former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has called for transparency.

He wrote: ‘I noted with interest your comments at the press conference held in Bute House earlier this week.

‘When challenged about the significant increase in the salaries your Ministers and Cabinet Secretaries now receive you outlined why it was, in your view, not appropriate for you personally to accept this increased salary as the “decision maker” on the pay rise.

‘If this is true, then you must have decided this before announcing in a Government Inspired Question the increased salaries of government Ministers, but this seems contrary to the response from officials or Specials Advisors in your government who briefed a Sunday newspaper that it was the query from the Mail on Sunday that had ‘crystallised’ your decision to not receive the increased salary.’

He added: ‘As you have repeatedly spoken about transparency and openness within your government I am sure you will be happy to provide me with all the correspondence between you, government officials, Special Advisors and Scottish Parliament officials. Please treat this email as a formal request for this information.

‘Can I ask for your response to this email and the documents as a matter of urgency, as there are many questions that members and their constituents have over this significant increase in Ministerial pay.

‘That is why the Scottish Conservatives have asked for a statement to Parliament on this issue after recess, again I hope this receives a positive reply from your government.’

Owing to a rule introduced by former First Minister Alex Salmond, since April 1, 2009, Ministers have been deducting the difference between their ‘net’ salary entitlement - made up of their MSP pay and their Ministerial pay - and their 2009 entitlement, with the surplus donated directly into the public purse.

But as of this month, while the Ministerial element of their salaries will stay frozen at 2008-09 levels, the MSP allowance will now be ‘equalised’ with other serving MSPs.

In response to a written question from Nationalist MSP Rona Mackay just before Holyrood went into recess, Mr Swinney wrote: ‘The freeze of the Ministerial element of pay... will remain in place.’

He added: ‘From April 1, 2025, the MSP element of Ministers’ salaries will be equalised with that of MSPs who are not currently serving Ministers, providing parity in line with their roles.’

While a junior minister was projected to earn £81,449 this year, that figure has now soared to £100,575. Cabinet secretaries were meant to take home £96,999. However, that total has jumped to £116,125.

Bar the First Minister every single one of the Scottish Government’s 23 Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers have accepted the increase, this newspaper understands.

It means around half a million pounds which was due to go back into the public purse will now be given directly to them.

The First Minister’s own salary was set to rise to 154,731, however hours before publication last Saturday, his team called our reporter to say he was not going to take the bump.

His team said The Mail on Sunday’s query had ‘crystallised’ a concern held by Mr Swinney that it would not be appropriate for the decision maker to be seen to benefit from the rise personally.

They confirmed he had taken the decision not to take the rise that morning on Saturday April 12.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Ministerial and MSP salaries are set and paid by the Scottish Parliament. The MSP element of pay for ministers for 2025-26 will be identical to that of other MSPs.

‘The Ministerial element of pay has been frozen for 16 years at 2008-09 levels and this will remain in place for 2025-26.

‘A response will be sent to Mr Ross in due course.’