A TORY MSP has paid a former party colleague over £40,000 through Holyrood expenses to rent out a flat in Edinburgh.
MSP Douglas Lumsden pays £1200 a month through public funds to Peter Chapman – who represented the North East for the Scottish Conservatives between 2016 and 2021.
The payments are drawn from the allowance available to MSPs who live far from Edinburgh and require accommodation in the city to carry out parliamentary duties.
While the expenses system has been reformed over the years to improve transparency and protect Holyrood’s reputation, current rules do not prohibit renting from a former MSP.
MSPs are barred from letting from close relatives or sitting members of the Parliament, but no such restriction applies to ex-MSPs.
Official records show Lumsden claimed £12,100 in rent in 2021/22, £13,900 in 2022/23, and £14,400 in 2023/24.
Reports from the Daily Record show a total of £40,400 over three years was paid to “Peter and Edith Chapman”, according to the online expenses register.
Chapman, who owns a flat around 15 minutes from [[Holyrood]], currently serves as a councillor in Aberdeenshire.
He declares rental income from the Edinburgh property in his register of interests.
Lumsden, a former councillor, entered Holyrood in 2021 as a list MSP for the North East.
Earlier this year, he faced criticism after tabling nearly 1000 written questions in just one month, costing the public an estimated £100,000.
Among the topics he queried were flagpoles, bees, and jars of honey sold in the Holyrood shop.
Lumsden denied suggestions that he used AI to generate the volume of questions.
Chapman previously resigned from the Tory front bench after lobbying councillors on a planning matter in which he had a financial interest.
He later admitted his actions had been “foolish” but was cleared of breaching parliamentary conduct rules.
Former Labour MSP Neil Findlay called for a review of the practice of renting from ex-MSPs, saying public money must be used responsibly.
A Scottish Conservative spokesperson told the Record that all claims were properly declared and within the rules, with the Scottish Parliament saying its accommodation rules were already robust and subject to regular review.
Chapman, Lumsden, and the SNP were contacted for comment.
