A broadside... then the war of words erupted

IT was an extraordinary broadside that triggered a bitter war of words between a former first minister and Scotland’s top civil servant.

Late on Thursday, Alex Salmond issued a statement – ahead of Press revelations about his alleged sexual misconduct – attacking the Scottish Government.

He alleged that during the complaints process, Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans had chosen to ‘deny me contact with any current civil servant, many of whom wished to give evidence on my behalf’.

Criticising the Scottish Government’s handling of the allegations, he claimed the procedures were ‘grossly unfair’ and will ‘therefore inevitably… lead to prejudicial outcomes’.

But further comment was impossible, he said, because of a judicial review Mr Salmond’s lawyers are pursuing at the Court of Session.

This legal action – challenging those allegedly ‘unfair’ Scottish Government procedures – is in its embryonic stages, with no hearings yet scheduled.

Mr Salmond concluded that he ‘will let a real court decide whether it was lawful for [the Permanent Secretary]’ to investigate the claims in the way she did.

Then, late yesterday morning, came a public rebuttal of Mr Salmond’s claims – of a kind never seen before from a civil servant occupying such a senior position.

Mrs Evans disclosed that the sexual harassment allegations had been communicated to Mr Salmond in March, two months after the complaints were made.

On Wednesday, she said she had told Mr Salmond and the complainers that she was intending to make details of the claims and the investigation public.

That was delayed, she said, when Mr Salmond launched legal proceedings which were ‘subsequently dropped’, allowing her to confirm the ‘fact of the complaints’.

But in a devastating attack on a former first minister’s credibility, she claimed his statement ‘contains significant inaccuracies’. These, she said, ‘will be addressed’ – but only in ‘court proceedings’.

Leslie Evans became Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government in July 2015, the first woman to hold this role and one of only 30 female permanent secretaries in the history of the UK Civil Service.

As head of the Scottish Civil Service, she is the principal policy adviser to the First Minister, and secretary to the Cabinet.

She is also principal accountable officer for the Government, with a personal responsibility for Government finance and for efficient use of resources.

For whatever reason, the Permanent Secretary has decided to mount a process against me using an unlawful procedure which she herself introduced. I will let a real court decide whether it was lawful for her to do so. ALEX SALMOND Former First Minister The former First Minister has indicated his intention to challenge the actions taken by the Scottish Government. His statement contains significant inaccuracies which will be addressed in those court proceedings. LESLIE EVANS Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government