A controversial multi-millionaire’s charity has pledged nearly £90,000 to the campaign group fighting an assisted dying law in Scotland.
Tycoon Sir Brian Souter ’s charitable venture has already handed over a sizable sum to Care Not Killing.
Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur last month lodged proposals to legalise assisted dying as a choice for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.
His plan has cross-party support and it will be the first time Holyrood has considered the issue since 2015.
Care Not Killing, a UK alliance which opposes assisted suicide, is leading the charge against a law change.
The body, which includes faith groups, claims that assisted dying could put pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a financial burden.
Accounts for the Souter Charitable Trust, set up by Sir Brian and his wife Elizabeth, show the charity pledged £87,500 to Care Not Killing in 2019.
Of that, £25,000 was handed over last year, with the remaining £62,500 listed as a future commitment.
Souter, who made his fortune after founding the Stagecoach transport empire, is an evangelical Christian who has bankrolled socially conservatives causes.
His charity, which assists projects that promote “spiritual welfare”, also gave £50,000 to the anti-abortion Right to Life group in 2019.
In 2000, he was widely panned after he funded a referendum opposing the then Scottish Executive’s plan to scrap a discriminatory gay rights law relating to schools.
The campaign opposing the change was seen as nasty and MSPs believed it helped demonise a vulnerable minority in society.
Souter, who is pro-independence, also donated around £2.5m to the SNP when Alex Salmond was leader. The Scottish Government was criticised for nominating Souter for a knighthood, although a spokesperson for Salmond said no Ministers had been involved.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Souter and his sister Ann Gloag are worth £650m.
Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole Hamilton, a supporter of the assisted dying proposal, said: “This is not the first time Brian Souter has tried to use his considerable wealth to thwart progress in the field of human rights in Scotland.
“He is entitled to spend his money as he pleases, but I hope and expect that as with his efforts to prevent inclusive education around sexuality in our schools, he will once again find himself on the wrong side of history when it comes to assisted dying.
“Over 70 per cent of Scots believe that people who are terminally ill and in pain beyond the reach of palliative care should be given the right and the means to end their own suffering and pass away in dignity.”
A spokesperson for Care Not Killing said: “We are grateful for the donations we receive from individuals and groups.
“These donations allow us to continue the vital work of promoting and improving access to palliative care, alongside opposing Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide (EAS).”
McArthur has said of his Bill proposal: “I have long believed that dying Scots should be able to access safe and compassionate assisted dying if they choose, rather than endure a prolonged and painful death.
"The current blanket ban on such assistance is unjust and causes needless suffering for so many dying people and their families across Scotland. If you have reached the limits of palliative care and face a bad death, none of the current options available to you in Scotland represents an acceptable alternative to a peaceful, dignified death at home."
The Record contacted the charity for comment.
