STURGEON UNDER FIRE AT HOLYROOD
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NICOLA Sturgeon had heated clashes with MSPs yesterday over the legal advice scandal in the Alex Salmond case.
She was blasted after her Government finally published the advice – but only after her deputy’s job was on the line.
In an angry exchange, Sturgeon accused Ruth Davidson of “desperate political games” after the Tory MSP called on her to quit.
Davidson, who is leaving for the House of Lords soon, said the Government had withheld “crucial” evidence from their own legal team in 2018.
She blasted: “It withheld documents from its own lawyers. It withheld documents from the courts. It continues to withhold documents from Parliament.
“There is no argument that the First Minister was at fault for losing more than £0.5million of taxpayers’ money; the argument is only about how much she is to blame for it.
“There is no argument that Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code; the argument is only about how badly she broke it. We believe that the sanction is for her to go – why doesn’t she?”
Sturgeon responded: “She [Davidson] stands up here and says that scrutiny, democracy and due process are really important but, just as on Tuesday night, when the Conservatives prejudged my evidence to the parliamentary inquiry, she has just prejudged the outcome of the independent inquiry into the ministerial code.”
She also tore into Davidson for her Holyrood exit: “In a few weeks, I will also subject myself to the ultimate scrutiny: the scrutiny and the verdict of the people of Scotland, which is the verdict that matters most.
“As I do so, Ruth Davidson will be slinking off to the House of Lords.”
A Holyrood committee is investigating the Government’s mishandling of sexual misconduct complaints against Salmond when he was First Minister.
A running controversy has been the legal advice taken by the Government during the judicial review process in 2018. MSPs suspected the delays in conceding the case by the Government increased the costs to the taxpayer.
However, the Government doggedly refused to hand over their legal advice to the inquiry and defied two votes in Parliament. The Government finally caved in this week after a motion of no confidence was tabled over Sturgeon’s deputy John Swinney. Labour leader Anas Sarwar, in his first outing as leader, claimed the Government had undermined the principles of “wisdom, compassion, justice and integrity”. Asked why it took the threat of a no-confidence vote to hand over the advice, Sturgeon said: “The importance for all Governments of being able to take proper legal advice should be understood by everybody across the chamber.
“The Government has now – rightly, given the allegations that have been levelled at it – published that legal advice and people can look at it and draw their own conclusions.”
Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie also said it should not have taken a threat to the Deputy First Minister’s job to comply with the will of parliament. He hit out at
Sturgeon’s “secretive 14-year-old Government”, claiming it is “more interested in defending itself than aiding the process of democracy”.
The First Minister said: “There is a really important principle underpinning the need for Governments to be able to take proper legal advice and for maintaining the confidentiality of that advice. Governments throughout the United Kingdom and indeed much of the world rely on that principle, too.”
The legal advice, published this week, contained an “urgent” note in October 2018 – two months before the
Government conceded the case – from a QC acting for the Government. Roddy Dunlop wrote of the prior involvement problem: “It would be wrong for me to suggest that this revelation is anything other than an extremely concerning one.”
On December 6, 2018, counsel argued that the “least worst” option would be to concede, but days later an email was sent which stated that the Lord Advocate did not want to give up.
Two weeks later, counsel expressed alarm at the full extent of the prior involvement: “With regret, our dismay at this case deepens yet further.” Jackie
Baillie, a Labour MSP who sits on the inquiry, also hit out at the Government during an interview yesterday. She said: “In my 22 years in Parliament, I have never been so obstructed, unable to do my job, as I have been on this committee.
“And in part that’s down to the Scottish Government. We have consistently asked them for information, which they say they will provide, we get it six months late.
“And in the case of legal advice, it’s taken two parliamentary votes and endless letters to try and get them to actually hand it over, and they only did so at six o’clock before the committee meeting.”