Holyrood to launch probe into Salmond inquiry

THE SCOTTISH Parliament will mount its own investigation into the fallout from sexual misconduct allegations against former First Minister Alex Salmond.

Holyrood is to set up a special committee, which will look at the Scottish Government’s handling of the complaints – denied by Mr Salmond – as well as the former First Minister’s dealings with his successor Nicola Sturgeon.

The move was unanimously agreed by all parties at a meeting of the Parliamentary Bureau yesterday. Holyrood officials will now consider the membership of the committee and what the remit should be for the probe.

A Scottish Parliament spokeswoman said: “Bureau members unanimously agreed to create a new committee of inquiry. Officials have been asked to prepare options on its remit and membership and these will be discussed at a future meeting of the bureau.”

Scottish Conservative interim leader Jackson Carlaw said afterwards: “I’m pleased that the Parliamentary Bureau has decided today to back the Scottish Conservative proposal for a Holyrood inquiry into this affair.

“An investigation has been botched, two complainants have been let down and hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money has been wasted.

“These are clearly matters for the Scottish Parliament to investigate and the inquiry must be able to examine what went wrong and why this was allowed to happen.”

Labour leader Richard Leonard agreed the inquiry was the “right decision and a positive step forward”.

Confirmation of the probe comes two days after Ms Sturgeon confirmed she will refer herself to the panel of advisers to consider whether her actions breached the ministerial code of conduct. She had told MSPs she only became aware of the allegations – which date back to Mr Salmond’s time as First Minister – when the pair met for talks at her home last April. A key aide to the former First Minister has said Ms Sturgeon’s chief of staff Liz Lloyd “suspected” a complaint had been made the previous month.