THE EVIDENCE

Alex Salmond’s lawyers have written to MSPS to raise his concerns about evidence given by SNP chief executive Peter Murrell in December. Here is part of that evidence, where Labour’s Jackie Baillie asks him about texts sent to a party colleague suggesting it was a good time to pressurise police investigating the former first minister.

Jackie Baillie: Were there further messages in the same vein from you to this party official or, indeed, any other party official, associated with this topic?

Peter Murrell: What do you mean? Sorry.

Jackie Baillie: I mean in relation to the allegations about the former first minister, Alex Salmond.

Peter Murrell: And what? Sorry.

Jackie Baillie: Let me go back. The text messages that you sent, which we have seen, were to your chief operating officer. I am asking whether there were other text messages to any other party official on the same subject.

Peter Murrell: No. Not that I am aware of.

Jackie Baillie: I turn to your actual messages that were shared with the committee. I ask you again what you meant by saying that the police will be “twiddling their thumbs”, so it is a “good time to be pressurising them”.

Peter Murrell: I have set that out already. The language that I used was not appropriate. I would say that it was pretty out of character for me. I can only explain that as being the result of how upset I was that morning...

Jackie Baillie: Text messages invite you to be brief and very clear about what you are saying. Are you saying that you got it wrong for one day in 40 years?

Peter Murrell: Yes, I am, because of what we were dealing with that morning and the previous day [when Alex Salmond was charged] We were all gutted by what we had seen roll out over the previous 24 hours. It was a very flat and emotional time for everybody in headquarters. It was very upsetting. Yes, I would say, hands up, the language was not appropriate and I very much regret those words. I just put it down to the hurt.