The SNP has not had a significant cash donation from a living person since the ill-fated campaign to raise ring-fenced funds for a second independence referendum, the Scottish Daily Express can reveal.

Nicola Sturgeon dropped the party’s £1million fundraising drive in June 2017 after the disastrous general election which saw the Nats lose 21 seats. It featured a dedicated ref.scot website and a video appeal in which Ms Sturgeon urged people to “make a donation today”.

Around £670,000 was raised over the four months but when no Indyref2 campaign materialised, some supporters asked for their money back and eventually several people submitted complaints to the police.

Since the ref.scot campaign was ditched in June 2017, official figures from the Electoral Commission show the Nats have raked in £2.2m in 47 cash donations… but almost all of that was left to the party as bequests in people’s wills.

The last major cash gift from somebody who expected to live to see the benefit was on April 27, 2017, when EuroMillions winners Colin and Christine Weir gave the SNP £250,000 each.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters