Scotland ‘failed by its leaders’

SALMOND: Sturgeon broke ministerial code, says former FM as he calls for senior figures to quit

Alex Salmond accused Nicola Sturgeon of breaking ministerial rules yesterday as he claimed Scotland’s “leadership has failed”.

He stopped short of calling for the first minister’s resignation, but called for other senior figures in the country’s political and legal establishment to quit.

Giving evidence to the Holyrood inquiry into the Scottish Government’s unlawful investigation of sexual harassment claims against him, Mr Salmond said he had been the victim of a “malicious scheme” among senior SNP figures to sully his reputation.

He said he had no evidence Ms Sturgeon was part of any plot, however he contradicted evidence from Ms Sturgeon over key meetings on the complaints against him.

In that respect, he told the inquiry: “I have no doubt that Nicola broke the ministerial code.”

Alex Salmond has accused Nicola Sturgeon of breaking the ministerial code as he demanded the resignations of a series of top government and SNP officials.

He suggested the first minister, the Lord Advocate and the government’s permanent secretary had “failed” Scotland, and were undermining the case for independence.

During an explosive six-hour session at Holyrood, Mr Salmond alleged that a group of senior figures plotted to have him jailed because they were scared that his victory in a civil case would have “cataclysmic” consequences for Ms Sturgeon and her government.

He directly contradicted Ms Sturgeon’s version of events over meetings she held in 2018, including when she knew about allegations against him and whether the name of one of the complainers had been given to his aide.

However, Mr Salmond stopped short of saying that the first minister should resign if she is found to have breached the ministerial code.

The former SNP leader finally testified yesterday before a committee of MSPs investigating the way the Scottish Government handled allegations against him.

He spoke of the “nightmare” he had experienced and said he could not “move on” until the “decision-making which is undermining the system of government in Scotland is addressed”, but Mr Salmond would not apologise for his own behaviour when asked if he would say sorry to the women involved.

And in a surprise move at the end of the session, the former first minister suggested the committee may be able to secure some of the evidence it has been unable to obtain by serving an order on his solicitors.

The hearing was held after weeks of wrangling over whether his evidence could be published, and a huge row over a decision to redact parts of it.

Asked who should resign over the government’s handling of the allegations against him, Mr Salmond said the “people responsible for the disaster of the judicial review”, including the Scottish Government’s Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, while he said Lord Advocate James Wolffe should be “considering his position”, as well as senior figures in the SNP he had named in his written evidence, including chief executive Peter Murrell, husband of Ms Sturgeon.

Meanwhile, Mr Salmond suggested there may have been “obstruction of justice” over the government’s failure to disclose evidence to the courts, and he called for a police investigation into the leaking of allegations against him.

The Holyrood committee was set up after Mr Salmond received a £512,000 pay-out following the Court of Session civil ruling that the Scottish Government’s handling of the complaints was “unlawful” and “tainted by apparent bias”.

Separately, the former first minister was cleared of 13 charges, including sexual assault, indecent assault and attempted rape, following a trial last year.

In his opening statement to the committee, Mr Salmond said: “Some people say that the failures of these institutions – the blurring of the boundaries between party, government and prosecution service – means that Scotland is in danger of becoming a failed state.

“I disagree. The Scottish civil service hasn’t failed, its leadership has.

“The Crown Office hasn’t failed, its leadership has failed.

“Scotland hasn’t failed, its leadership has failed.”

Mr Salmond even appeared to suggest that these issues had weakened the case for Scottish independence.

He said: “Few would now dispute that our country is a better place for achieving our parliament.

“However, the move to independence, which I have sought all my political life and continue to seek, must be accompanied by institutions whose leadership is strong and robust, and capable of protecting each and every citizen from arbitrary authority.”

Ms Sturgeon, who will give evidence next week, has accused her former mentor of peddling “dangerous” conspiracy theories, and challenged him to produce evidence to back up his claims.

Describing his experience since the allegations emerged, Mr Salmond said: “For two years and six months this has been a nightmare.

“I have every desire to move on, to turn the page, to resist talking yet again about the series of events which are amongst the most wounding that any person can face.

“But the reason I’m here today is because we can’t turn that page nor move on until the decision-making which is undermining the system of government in Scotland is addressed.”

Mr Salmond’s appearance had been rescheduled several times over the last few weeks amid a storm of controversy over his evidence, and whether it could be published.

The document was eventually made public on Monday night but on Tuesday it was taken down and republished with redactions, after the Crown Office contacted the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.

Mr Salmond, who delayed his committee appearance from Wednesday to Friday, claimed the inquiry had been “systematically deprived of the evidence it has legitimately sought”, later adding there was “deliberate suppression of information inconvenient to the government”.

Questioned by Liberal Democrat MSP Alex ColeHamilton, Mr Salmond said he did not believe Ms Sturgeon had been involved in a “cover-up” of complaints against him.

He said: “I’ve seen it pursued on the committee that somehow Nicola Sturgeon was covering up – that’s not the case, my charges against Nicola Sturgeon don’t include that.”

It was a historic day in the political life of the nation but not one anyone is likely to look back on with pleasure.

Alex Salmond’s appearance before MSPs investigating the Scottish Government’s handling of sex assault allegations against him was absorbing, though it’s unclear how much light it shed.

All eyes will be back on Holyrood next week when Nicola Sturgeon defends herself against claims she broke the ministerial code. Another day to remember, maybe, but it’s unlikely to be with a sense of pride.

“The postcard of Kirkmichael Main Street sent in by Jim Howie includes the clan crest of Clan Donnachaidh or Robertson because Strathardle was included in the land ‘from Rannoch to Perth’ given to the clan by King James the Second in 1451 in recognition of a Robertson killing a would-be assassin on Rannoch Moor,” emails John Milne.

“Included in the photo is the three-storey building housing the General Merchants and the Post Office (built in 1898) and the three-storey version of the Kirkmichael Hotel which are unchanged plus the Smiddy which was demolished in the 1950s to allow the building of a new garage.”

Ex-first minister Alex Salmond gave evidence yesterday.