£10k in public funds for Scottish MP’s portrait

Menzies Campbell MP, the former Liberal Democrat leader who represents North East Fife in the House of Commons, is among UK parliamentarians who have been immortalised on canvas at taxpayers’ expense.

According to information obtained by the London Evening Standard through the Freedom of Information Act, £10,346 was spent on a portrait of Campbell for the Parliamentary Art Collection at the House of Commons – which “records those who have made a significant contribution to UK political life over the centuries”.

Campbell’s portrait, by acclaimed Scottish artist Victoria Crowe, was unveiled in 2008. He is quoted on the Parliament website as saying of it: “I appreciate very much to have been honoured by the House of Commons in this way. Both my wife and I are highly delighted with the portrait. It was a very great pleasure to sit for Victoria Crowe who made me feel relaxed and comfortable.”

Campbell, who has been an MP since 1987, is one of three Liberal Democrat leaders who are featured in official parliamentary portraits – though he had the shortest reign of them all, becoming leader in March 2006 and then stepping down in October 2007. His portrait was also more expensive than that of Lord Ashdown, whose 1995 portrait cost £2,000, and Charles Kennedy, who appears in a £6,000 triptych alongside Tony Blair and William Hague.

Campbell’s portrait cannot be reproduced here owing to its copyright.

It, along with other pieces in the parliament’s art collection, was commissioned by the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art, a cross-party committee which is currently made up of five Conservative MPs, three from Labour, one Liberal Democrat, and one from Plaid Cymru. It is chaired by Frank Doran, Labour MP for Aberdeen North.

Since 1995, the committee has approved expenditure of around £250,000 on official MPs’ portraits, with the cost per commission rising over the following fifteen years. The cost of each commission averaged £3,375 between 1995-2000, £7,180 between 2000-05, and £9,300 between 2005-10.

According to a spokesperson for the House of Commons, the art collection’s annual budget is being reduced to reflect the economic downturn.