18:55

My colleague Severin Carrell, the Guardian’s Scotland editor, has this report on Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leadership contender.

Anas Sarwar is facing fresh controversy over his family’s non-unionised cash and carry business after he admitted previously earning up to £20,000 a year from it in share dividends.

His admission raises doubts about his response to questions from the Guardian on Tuesday and to BBC Good Morning Scotland on Wednesday, when he said he received no remuneration from the firm.

Sarwar, who describes himself as a democratic socialist who backs a mandatory £10 minimum wage, has been fending off jibes about the company, United Wholesale (Scotland) Ltd, over its lack of formal union recognition and its refusal to voluntarily pay the so-called real living wage of £8.45 an hour. Nicola Sturgeon goaded him over the issue during first minister’s questions at Holyrood on Thursday.

Under pressure too for his decision to send his children to his old fee-paying private school in Glasgow, Sarwar has repeatedly insisted he has no direct say in the firm’s running as he is not a director or board member, and is a minority shareholder.

The Herald reported on Thursday he had actually been entitled to £20,000 a year in share dividends since 2003, while his wife Furheen took up to £196,000 in total over that time. His spokesman admitted Sarwar frequently took those dividends.

The Guardian asked Sarwar directly about his UWS share earnings on Tuesday, with the question: “Do you actually take any personal wealth from UWS, do you earn anything at all on the shares?”

Sarwar answered: “Do I take any personal wealth? Well I think you can see from my register of interests exactly what my interests are in UWS, and any benefit that I get from UWS.”

He spokesman later confirmed by text Sarwar had no remuneration from the firm. He told the BBC on Wednesday: “I take no remuneration from the company.” His MSPs register of interests shows he has a 23% shareholding in UWS but received no outside income from it or any other source. On paper, those shares are worth £4.8m.

Sarwar’s responses were accurate but arguably incomplete as he opted not to volunteer previous earnings. Sarwar’s spokesman said he stopped taking dividends when he became an MSP in May 2016, but admitted taking the money after losing his Glasgow Central Westminster seat in May 2015, and in previous years.

The Guardian reported on Thursday Sarwar had also received £12,500 in three political donations from UWS soon after he became an MP, in 2010 and 2011. His spokesman said UWS had been regular donors to the Labour party for the past 20 years.