Let’s hear some answers, Nicola

NICOLA Sturgeon has been an MSP for more than two decades but today is one of the biggest tests of her political career.

She will have the chance to give her version of events on the Scottish Government’s botched sexual misconduct investigation into former first minister Alex Salmond.

In addressing the Holyrood Inquiry, she will be able to explain why more than £600,000 of public money was lost to this fiasco.

She will also be grilled on the claims of her angry predecessor.

Salmond is furious about the conduct of the probe and the fact it was leaked to the Daily Record.

He is livid that he was charged with sexual offences, even though he was acquitted.

Salmond believes Sturgeon’s husband, SNP CEO Peter Murrell, and her chief-of-staff Liz Lloyd, were among those who plotted to have him jailed.

Hearing Sturgeon respond to these claims will be an extraordinary event in itself.

She also needs to provide clarity for the sake of her party.

The SNP is engaged in a bitter civil war between allies of the First Minister and her predecessor.

Unity was once the watchword of the SNP – now, it is a distant memory.

But our main hope is today’s evidence session allows Scotland to focus all its energies on the pandemic and its aftermath.

We desperately need the Scottish Government to put forward a Covid recovery plan based on the economy and public services.

This is impossible while it is paralysed over the Salmond Inquiry.

We need answers – and then we need to move on.