Sturgeon ‘focused’ despite Salmond claims

Nicola Sturgeon has insisted she is not distracted from the coronavirus pandemic by Alex S a l m o n d ’s accusations she broke the ministerial code.

The former first minister claimed his successor misled MSPS with “false and manifestly untrue” statements about when she first knew of sexual harassment allegations against Mr Salmond.

Ms Sturgeon initially told Holyrood she first heard of complaints of sexual misconduct against her predecessor when they met at her home on April 2 2018.

It later emerged she had a meeting with Mr Salmond’s chief of staff, Geoff Aberdein, in her Holyrood office four days earlier.

The SNP leader told a Scottish Parliament committee examining the Sco tt ish Government’s botched handling of sexual harassment allegations against Mr Salmond she “forgot” about the encounter.

In his evidence to the Independent Adviser on the Ministerial Code James Hamilton, Mr Salmond said the meeting was arranged to discuss the allegations and added: “There was never the slightest doubt what the meeting was about.

“Any suggestion by the first minister to the Scottish Parliament that the meeting was ‘ f lee t ing or opportunistic’ is simply untrue.”

Challenged about her account at yesterday’s coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said: “These a r e m a tt e r s that are under investigation.”

Asked whether the allegations by Mr Salmond were a potential distraction from her leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Sturgeon replied: “I’m not distracted, I’m focused 100% on steering the country through the pandemic.”