Newly elected SNP MSP facing an ethics probe for failing to declare earnings

By TOM GORDON, SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 20:30, 15 May 2026 | Updated: 20:30, 15 May 2026 A newly elected SNP MSP is facing an ethics probe about undeclared earnings. Colm Merrick is accused of failing to register money he made working for fellow Nat Kirsten Oswald when he was a councillor and she was an MP. The Standards Commission for Scotland, which has the power to suspend or disqualify councillors for code of conduct breaches, is to hold a hearing on the case on July 7. The Scottish Conservatives said Mr Merrick had ‘serious questions to answer’ and the SNP had to explain what it knew of the issue during the election. Elected MSP for Glasgow Anniesland last week, Mr Merrick has represented the Giffnock and Thornliebank ward on East Renfrewshire Council since 2017. Archive copies of his council register of interests show he failed to declare any outside earnings between the 2022 local election and late October 2025. He then declared he had worked part-time between August 2, 2022 and November 2, 2024 for Ms Oswald, who was the MP for Eastwood from 2019 to 2024. And he also worked part-time from May 12 to June 20 last year for SNP Glasgow MSP Bob Doris, and had an ‘unpaid internship’ with then Anniesland MSP Bill Kidd. The Scottish Conservatives said Colm Merrick had ‘serious questions to answer’ Ms Oswald, elected the MSP for Eastwood last week, is not accused of any wrongdoing. Mr Merrick last night said he had referred himself to the watchdogs after realising his error. A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: ‘Colm Merrick and the SNP have serious questions to answer over his failure to declare these earnings. ‘Did he inform the Nationalists that he was the subject of a council probe while standing for Holyrood and, if so, did Swinney and co turn a blind eye to it? ‘This looks like a sleazy start for one of the SNP’s new intake.’ Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: ‘Once again the SNP don’t seem to think the rules apply to them. ‘This embarrassing episode raises questions for not one but two of John Swinney’s new intake. ‘We need total transparency from the SNP about this potential breach and the outcome of this probe.’ The Standards Commission said Cllr Merrick’s case related to an alleged failure to update his register of interests between August 2, 2022 and October 24 last year in respect of his work with Ms Oswald and between July 21 and last October 25 in respect of his internship with Mr Kidd. Mr Merrick is accused of failing to register money he made working for Kirsten Oswald when he was a councillor and she was an MP Mr Merrick said: ‘After realising that I had inadvertently omitted details from the register of interests, I updated the record and referred myself to the Standards Commission. ‘Along with my fellow SNP MSPs who were elected in the SNP’s landslide victory last week, I am focused on delivering for the people and communities I have been elected to serve.’ Irish-born Mr Merrick, 66, is one of 24 newly elected MSPs who are also councillors. He managed Ms Oswald’s successful 2019 general election campaign in Eastwood but failed to take the equivalent Holyrood seat in 2021. His defeat, in the home of Scotland’s largest Jewish community, followed him being accused of trivialising the Holocaust. It emerged he suggested in 2015 that Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels was the ‘potential source’ of Scottish Labour’s general election campaign that year. The Tories called it ‘indefensible’ and the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said ‘trivial equations of today’s politics with the darkest period in human history diminish the meaning of the Holocaust’. After deleting it, Mr Merrick said: ‘I’m sorry for this stupid post.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.