Salmond ‘will not get special treatment’

NICOLA STURGEON yesterday warned SNP parliamentarians that Alex Salmond would receive no special treatment over sexual misconduct allegations, as her party teetered on the brink of civil war.

The First Minister told a gathering of Nationalist MPS and MSPS in Edinburgh that there could not be “one rule for the powerful and another rule for everyone else”.

In an apparent attack on her predecessor’s decision to cover his legal fees through crowdfunding, she praised the two women who made complaints for their bravery.

Ms Sturgeon said this “cannot have been at all easy to do”, and warned her colleagues against any conduct that would discourage others from coming forward in future.

An SNP spokesman said her tough message received a “very warm response”. But hours later, Mr Salmond’s solicitors confirmed a petition for judicial review was served on the Scottish Government’s legal representatives.

Mr Salmond is contesting a complaints procedure introduced in December and approved by Ms Sturgeon.

A month later, two female civil servants lodged complaints against Mr Salmond from his time as first minister. He denies any wrongdoing but resigned from the SNP on Wednesday.

The party is deeply divided over how Mr Salmond has been treated, with Ian Blackford, the SNP’S Westminster leader, backing the Scottish Government and Ms Sturgeon.

However, several SNP parliamentarians have issued messages of support or donated money and by 5pm yesterday, he had raised more than £95,000.

The Scottish Government said it would “vigorously defend our position” and pledged to raise in court “a number of inaccuracies in Mr Salmond’s statements”.

A spokesman said the complaints “could not be ignored or swept under the carpet” and they had been dealt with “appropriately.”