A Church of Scotland minister raised eyebrows yesterday after he told Alex Salmond that his decision to sell off gifts to raise money for charity seemed a “little ungrateful” of him.
The Rev Alistair May, of Stonelaw Church of Rutherglen, wrote to the MSP on social media after he announced he was auctioning off presents he received as First Minister for good causes including an orphanage in Africa.
The minister wrote: “I know he rightly can’t keep these as they are given ex-officio but flogging gifts seems a little ungrateful.”
After being challenged on his remarks, Mr May appeared to backtrack and wrote: “I’m all for it and selling these is probably the best solution. Just feels a bit funny.”
The minister later deleted the messages.
A Saltire patterned tie is among dozens of items including prints, gifts and memorabilia from the First Minister’s official residence Bute House which will go under the hammer to raise funds for charity.
Mr Salmond, MSP for Aberdeenshire East, wore the dark blue tie with a Saltire print on a host of historic occasions, including the signing of the Edinburgh Agreement with David Cameron which paved the way for the independence referendum.
He wore it to launch the Scottish Government’s blueprint for independence and chose it for his second battle with Alistair Darling in a televised debate.
Other items include signed copies of the Scottish Referendum Bill and the Edinburgh Agreement, cufflinks, watches and whisky.
The sale will take place at Great Western Auctions in Glasgow on Saturday and the charities benefiting are CLIC Sargent, the Scottish Youth Theatre and St Jerome’s Orphanage in Kenya.
An SNP spokeswoman said: “During his time as First Minister, Alex Salmond received a number of marvellous gifts that took pride of place in Bute House, St Andrew’s House and the Scottish Parliament.
“These treasured items were gifted to Alex at an unprecedented time in Scotland’s history and many of them mean a great deal to him.
“Around 280 lots will be put up for auction to raise money for the charities. Alex hopes to raise a substantial sum for these important causes.”