Sturgeon left in lurch...by husband’s extraordinary Salmond inquiry grilling
FM’s spouse contradicts her evidence over Salmond meeting at their home
NICOLA Sturgeon’s husband may have dealt a ‘ f atal blow’ to her political career with his explosive evidence to the Alex Salmond inquiry, it was claimed last night.
Peter Murrell yesterday directly contradicted the First Minister’s sworn testimony over a meeting that she had held at their marital home with Mr Salmond.
His evidence has paved the way for closer scrutiny into whether Miss Sturgeon misled parliament by giving ‘false’ evidence.
Mr Murrell, the SNP’s chief executive, told the Holyrood inquiry that the meeting in 2018 was very clearly ‘government business’, which would require a record to be taken.
But Miss Sturgeon has repeatedly insisted she saw the meeting as ‘party’ business, which does not require her to log it in records at all.
The complaints against Mr Salmond were made to the Scottish Government. Miss Sturgeon is facing a series of probes into her involvement in the Salmond affair, including whether she breached the ministerial code.
Mr Salmond has called for this investigation to be broadened to look at whether she misled parliament. If found to have done so, she would be expected to resign.
Tory MSP Murdo Fraser said: ‘The SNP chief executive has sunk Nicola Sturgeon. He has directly contradicted the First Minister and exposed her claim that it was party business to be utterly false.
‘Peter Murrell’s words indicate that Nicola Sturgeon misled parliament, gave false evidence to the committee, and broke the ministerial code.
‘The SNP chief executive said today that the meetings with Alex
Salmond were government, not party business. That is the opposite of what she claims.
‘The First Minister’s ever-changing story has been dealt a fatal blow by her own chief executive and husband. His evidence has shattered her claims to pieces.’
Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: ‘If Peter Murrell, as chief executive of the SNP, wasn’t aware of the nature of the meeting in his own home, I’m astonished.
‘However, more serious would be if the First Minister was breaching the ministerial code and discussing details of the Government’s investigation to Alex Salmond.’
Mr Murrell claimed he was not aware of what the First Minister and her predecessor had discussed in early 2018 because it related to ‘government business’.
Speaking under oath, he told a Holyrood inquiry yesterday that he and his wife had not discussed the matter despite him realising there was something ‘serious’ going on.
Miss Sturgeon told parliament that no records of the meeting were taken – including minutes, notes and diary entries – because she was acting in her capacity as SNP leader and not First Minister.
But Mr Murrell’s evidence suggests that he was well aware the meeting was not ‘party’ business. If she had met Mr Salmond to dis
‘Shattered her claims to pieces’
cuss issues relating to government business, the ministerial code states a record should be made.
Failing to do so would be in breach. The code also says that if a minister knowingly misleads parliament, they will be ‘expected to offer their resignation’. Mr Mur
rell appeared in front of mSPs on the Holyrood inquiry examining the Government’s botched probe into complaints against mr Salmond.
He was questioned about a meeting between miss Sturgeon and mr Salmond which took place at their Glasgow home on April 2, 2018.
the SNP leader previously claimed this was the first time she learned of the serious harassment complaints facing her former colleague.
However, it later emerged that she had learned of ‘allegations of a sexual nature’ against him at a meeting on march 29, 2018, with Geoff Aberdein, mr Salmond’s former chief of staff. miss Sturgeon claims to have forgotten the details of this meeting.
Yesterday, mr murrell told mSPs: ‘i wasn’t at home, and i wasn’t aware of the capacity in which she was having the meetings.’ But he later admitted he had arrived back to the house as the April 2 meeting was wrapping up.
Asked if his wife told him about the details of the discussions, he said: ‘the issue that was raised with Nicola at the time was a Scottish Government matter and Scottish Government business is not for me.’
miss Sturgeon previously claimed that she thought mr Salmond had asked to meet her on April 2 to resign from the SNP.
mr murrell told mSPs his wife had initially ‘thought it was a party matter’ but ‘once Alex told her what the meeting was about then it became
‘This is wholly implausible’
something else’. miss Sturgeon met mr Salmond on three occasions to discuss the misconduct probe, on April 2, June 7 and July 14, 2018.
in written evidence to the Holyrood committee, she said all meetings were undertaken ‘as party leader and from the perspective of preparing my party for any potential public issue’.
Lib Dem mSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said: ‘the suggestion that Nicola Sturgeon gave her husband no warning of what was potentially the biggest threat to their party in its history, and a head start on bracing the party for impact is wholly implausible.’
the Scottish Government said: ‘the First minister has set out the position clearly in her written evidence to parliament. this has been published by the committee and mr murrell repeatedly made clear that this sets out the basis on which she had the meetings and contacts with mr Salmond.’