Sturgeon and Salmond go to war
First Minister hits back at her predecessor’s ‘ false conspiracy theories’ after he accuses her of lying and misleading Scottish Parliament
Nicola Sturgeon has hit back at Alex Salmond after her predecessor as First Minister accused her of lying and misleading parliament in an extraordinary statement to an investigation into whether she had broken Holyrood’s code of conduct.
Her evidence to the inquiry into the handling of sexual harassment claims made against him were “simply untrue” and "untenable", Mr Salmond has said in evidence to James Hamilton's investigation into whether Ms Sturgeon breached the ministerial code.
In a significant escalation of the feud between the two former friends and political allies, Mr Salmond’s evidence
to the inquiry accuses the First Minister of repeatedly breaching the ministerial code and of misleading the Scottish Parliament.
The First Minister issued a strong denial of his claims, labelling them “false conspiracy theories”.
Mr Salmond was also acquitted of sexual offence charges in a trial in Edinburgh last year.
The breach es of the ministerial code alleged by mrs almond include a failure on behalf of Ms Sturgeon to inform the civil service of her meetings with him in her home and allowing the Scottish Government to continue to contest the civil case despite legal advice that recommended it was conceded.
A spokesperson for Ms Sturgeon said: “The First Minister entirely rejects Mr Salmond’s claims about the ministerial code.
“We should always remember that the roots of this issue lie in complaints made by women about Alex Salmond’s behaviour whilst he was first minister, aspects of which he has conceded.
“It is not surprising therefore that he continues to try to divert focus from that by seeking to malign the reputation of the First Minister and by spinning false conspiracy theories.
“The First Minister is concentrating on fighting the pandemic, stands by what she has said andwill address these matters in full when she appears at committee in the coming weeks.”
Ms Sturgeon has been accused of misleading Parliament over two meetings, one with Mr Salmond on 2 April, 2018, and one with his former chief of staff, Geoffaberdein, on 29 March, 2018.
She has consistently said the meeting with Mr Salmond was taken in the belief he was to quit th es np and was therefore party business.
The First Minister said she had forgotten the March meeting in her evidence to the committee and to Parliament and has denied there was a conspiracy against Mr Salmond.
The ministerial code says any minister found to have knowingly misled Holyrood should offer their resignation.
In his evidence, Mr Salmond claims there “was never the slightest doubt” the meeting in March was to arrange the subsequent meeting with Mr Salmond and that it had been arranged to discuss the allegations and the Scottish Gov-ernment’s handling of them. The evidence states: “The prearranged meeting in the Scottish Parliament of 29 March, 2018 was‘ forgotten’ about because acknowledging it would have rendered ridiculous the claim made by the first minister in Parliament that it had been believed that the meeting on 2 April was on SNP party business and thus held at her private residence.
“All participants in that meeting were fully aware of what the meeting was about and why it had been arranged.
“The meeting took place with a shared understanding of the issues for discussion – the complaints made and the Scottish Government procedure which had been launched. The First Minister’s claim that it was ever thought to be about anything other than the complaints made against me is wholly false.
“The meeting on 2 April, 2018, was arranged as a direct consequence of the prior meeting.”