Staff member is third to back Salmond’s name-leak claim

NEW claims that the name of a complainer was leaked to Alex Salmond’s former top aide have been published by the Holyrood inquiry into the handling of complaints against him.

Lorraine Kay, a former senior member of staff in Mr Salmond’s First Minister office, has set out in written evidence that she was told the name was leaked to his former chief of staff Geoff Aberdein. She is the third person to back Mr Salmond’s account that the name of a complainer had been leaked.

Duncan Hamilton, a former Nationalist MSP and lawyer for Mr Salmond, and former SNP communications director Kevin Pringle have previously corroborated the account.

In her letter, Miss Kay said: ‘I can confirm that Geoff confided in me, back in early March 2018, at the time when [redacted] requested a meeting with him.

‘I met with Geoff after his meeting with [redacted], and was shocked to hear that the Scottish Government had received two complaints about Mr Salmond. Geoff also shared with me that [redacted] had named one of the complainants – I recall this clearly as I knew the individual concerned.

‘I believe I was the first person Geoff spoke to about this issue.’

Miss Sturgeon, who was not at the meeting where the name was allegedly shared, has argued that the name was not leaked. When first challenged about the claims at FMQs, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘To the very best of my knowledge, I do not think that happened.’

Speaking under oath giving evidence to the committee, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘The

account that I have been given has given me assurance that what is alleged to have happened at that meeting did not happen in the way that has been described.’

She suggested Mr Salmond may have already known the name of one of the complainers ‘because he had apologised to the person concerned’ – and that he had possibly discovered the identity of the other ‘through his own investigations’.

Following the publication of Miss Kay’s letter, a Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The First Minister has made the position on this clear in her evidence to the committee and looks forward to the findings of the report from the independent adviser on the Ministerial Code.’