New Tory MP Lisa Cameron was offered a lucrative job months before quitting the SNP, the Sunday Mail can reveal. The politician had employed an image and media consultant earlier this year to polish her image and speaking skills and increase her chances of getting a highly paid job. He’s taking court action to get cash he claims he’s owed after the pair fell out when he agreed she sounded too much like Lorraine Kelly and wouldn’t be taken seriously. Cameron, 51, who sensationally quit the SNP for the Tory party last week, tried to force the consultant to sign a gagging order banning him from talking about their arrangement. The East Kilbride MP also planned to claim the money back on Parliamentary expenses or have it paid for by a business group who try to influence MPs. The consultant, who has worked other MPs, told the Sunday Mail: “She asked me for help because she knew the SNP were finished and she wanted a new job. “She said to me, ‘what I really want to do is improve my image so that I can get a job when the SNP is going to be wiped out’. “We had coffee in Portcullis House. “She said she had a squeaky voice that was not very commanding. I said it was a little like Lorraine Kelly and Lorraine was very popular but Lisa could be more ‘business leader voice’ instead of Lorraine.” What’s App messages and emails, seen by the Sunday Mail, show Cameron was planning to claim for some of the work on parliamentary expenses. She discussed getting funders behind her work on controversial All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) to pay for a photoshoot and redesign of her professional social media profile. A message sent by Cameron to the consultant on June 6 2023 stated: “My goodness you are a good luck charm. Have been offered a potential job in health next year! “A much bigger job than I had before being an MP. Very excited. “If I don’t get to stand again all will be fine. I have a positive feeling.” “Sent you a formal email on the contract details etc in line with a more polished me!” Join the Daily Record’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. The revelations are set to cause embarrassment to the Conservative party after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was personally involved in recruiting Cameron to his party. Civil court papers served on the MP claim she owes £2000 to the consultant for work between March and August this year. They claim the pair “had informal meetings and telephone conversations over several months about the Claimant potentially helping the Defendant improve her media image if she lost her seat. The court papers claim there was a verbal agreement for work including “face to face media training, new media photographs, advice on marketing and presentation, a new website and an updated LinkedIn profile. The total value of this work was over £14,000 and would be completed in approximately 6 to 8 weeks.” The pair’s working relationship broke down however when Cameron claimed she had been offered a new job and no longer needed some of the services. The MP then, according to the court documents, began to “misrepresent her speaking engagements” and “it became obvious that trust had broken down. The documents state: “After preparations for this combined work were underway and after several meetings and media training sessions had already occurred, the Defendant then told the Claimant that the planned photographs where no long required because she had been offered a job outside parliament and so her needs had changed. “There would also be no need for a new website or updated LinkedIn page.” After the consultant asked for payment, it is claimed that the MP “sought to have the Claimant’s Parliamentary Pass revoked, ignored the Claimants union representatives’ emails and all requests for payment.” The Sunday Mail understands that the trade union Bectu had contacted the MP on the man’s behalf and had planned to put her on a list which signals to other freelancers they should ask for payment up front before agreeing to work with her, known as the “ask first” list. After discovering this the MP’s lawyer contacted the trade union telling them it was defamatory to place her on the list and they could face legal action if they did so. The Sunday Mail revealed earlier this year how Cameron is a member of 51 APPGs – groups which have been criticised by some as being a way for businesses and lobbyists to access MPs and influence their decisions. She is the chairperson of the Crypto and Digital Assets APPG and has given talks and interviews about the cryptocurrency industry in the past. Whatsapp messages between the consultant and the MP show how Cameron was planning to claim some of the consultant’s work to rebrand her image through parliamentary expenses. The consultant asked: “Did you send all three invoices to be paid, including photos” The MP responded: “No that one is to be discussed with APPG, as I didn’t think I would be able to put that through IPSA as I wrote down that it included LinkedIn when we discussed it and I want to do everything appropriately.” MPs are allowed to claim training costs to help them do their parliamentary job through expenses. The consultant said he was not surprised to hear she had joined to Tory party. He said: “The Tory party is the natural fit for anyone wanting to make business connections fast.” A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “From the outset Lisa has worked closely with the parliamentary authorities – including IPSA and HR – and continued to follow their advice at all times on this matter. “They advised her to submit a defence statement which she did in the hope of coming to an amicable agreement and avoiding any costs being picked up by the taxpayer. “As the issue is yet to be resolved, it would be inappropriate for her to comment any further at this stage.” Bectu did not respond to our request for comment. Lisa Cameron was contacted for comment. Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – sign up to our daily newsletter here.
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