Sturgeon ‘knew of Salmond claims as early as February’
A FORMER Tory Minister has claimed Nicola Sturgeon knew of the complaints against Alex Salmond much earlier than the April 2018 timeframe she has given the Scottish Parliament and the Holyrood investigating committee under oath.
David Davis, the former Brexit Minister, used parliamentary privilege in the House of Commons to rehearse what he called “whistleblower” evidence claiming to show that Sturgeon was aware of the civil servant complaints of sexual harassment against Salmond in February 2018 and not April that year as she has stated.
Davis told the Commons and the wider world of a cache of e-mails and texts he had been sent anonymously.
The Haltemprice and Howden MP claimed to have communications that show the First Minister’s chief of staff, her closest aide, was not just aware of the complaints against Salmond but was “interfering” in the process.
Davis said: “I have it on good authority that there exists from the 6th of February 2018, an exchange of messages between civil servants Judith Mackinnon and Barbara Allison suggesting the First Minister’s chief of staff is interfering in the complaints process against Alex Salmond.
Davis tells House of Commons he has seen cache of emails & texts
The investigating officer complains, I quote, ‘Liz interference v bad’. I assume that means very bad.”
“If true, this suggests the chief of staff had knowledge of the Salmond case in February, not in April, as she has claimed on oath.
“The First Minister also tied herself to that April date in both parliamentary and legal statements. She was, of course, aware earlier than that. The question is just how aware and how much earlier?”
Sturgeon has held that the first she knew about the Salmond complaint was on April 2 when she met the former first minister in her home.
But other witnesses have stated she was made aware at a March 29 meeting with Geoff Aberdein, Salmond’s former chief of staff, in her Holyrood office.
A spokesperson for the First Minister said: “The comment read out by Mr Davis in relation to the chief of staff does not relate to Ms A or Ms B and, at that time, she was not aware that there was any connection to the former first minister.”
Scots Tory leader Douglas Ross said: “If the First Minister’s side were aware of complaints against Alex Salmond in February 2018, an outrageous breach of those women’s privacy and confidentiality has occurred.”