The lunch scandal the first minister has become embroiled in is “grubby” and “demeaning of his office”, according to a Labour politician.
Alex Salmond has been under fire since it emerged party supporters bid a total of £12,500 to dine with him and his deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, at the Scottish Parliament.
The money was destined for the Nationalists’ campaign fund for the Glasgow Central seat in Westminster, which they hope to win from Labour this year.
A lunch auction was captured on mobile phone footage and handed to a newspaper.
Mr Salmond cancelled the lunches on Saturday and stated that no monies had been received upfront.
Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie told the BBC’s Politics Show: “I think this is about cash for access to the highest office-holder in Scotland and that is the office of the first minister.
“I think it is grubby. It is actually demeaning of his office and frankly I think it’s entirely inappropriate.”
Housing Minister Alex Neil told the show that the Nationalists did not have access to trade union funds like Labour, or to big business donations like the Tories, and had to raise money primarily from its members.
He said: “Every party does run fundraising events . . . to say that these are grubby is a bit unfair. What we’ve got to do is clarify the rules and get it right.”
Earlier, Mr Salmond told the programme: “Having auctions for lunches is a normal part of party-political fundraising. The only question is can you have these lunches in the parliament?”
One bidder was prepared to pay £9,000 to lunch with the Scottish leader. Another, human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar, bid £1,000 for the pleasure.
The continuing row led Holyrood bosses to examine Scottish Parliament rules regarding the use of the members’ restaurant, and Mr Salmond has written to the parliament’s corporate body seeking clarification of those rules.
Former Scottish Labour communications chief Lorraine Davidson told the programme that the row was “very bad PR for the SNP” but added: “Unless we really want to grasp the nettle here and decide we want to go down the road of state funding for political parties, we’re going to have to accept this is the way that politics is run.”