SNP's day of reckoning: Explosive evidence that 'could force Nicola Sturgeon to QUIT' WILL be published by the Alex Salmond inquiry - as party civil war erupts

  • Former SNP leader's submission accuses Ms Sturgeon of misleading parliament
  • Holyrood examining probe into handling of harassment complaints against him
  • There had been concerns it may contain info which could identify his accusers
  • But decision to make his evidence public paves way for a dramatic showdown 

By RACHEL WATSON DEPUTY SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL

Published: | Updated:

Explosive evidence which could lead to Nicola Sturgeon's resignation is to be published by the Alex Salmond inquiry.

The former SNP leader's bombshell submission to the inquiry will accuse the First Minister of misleading parliament which, if true, could force her to quit.

The Holyrood committee is examining the Government's botched probe into the handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond. 

But he said he would not give evidence under oath unless his submission was published – and included in the inquiry's final report.

There had been concerns it may contain information which would lead to the identification of one of his accusers.

But the decision yesterday to make Mr Salmond's evidence public paves the way for a dramatic showdown in parliament next week, when he is now expected to appear.

The former SNP leader's bombshell submission to the inquiry will accuse the First Minister of misleading parliament which, if true, could force her to quit

The former SNP leader's bombshell submission to the inquiry will accuse the First Minister of misleading parliament which, if true, could force her to quit

The SNP reacted with fury to the decision last night. It accused the parliament of 'jeopardising' a court order to protect the anonymity of the women who had made allegations against Mr Salmond.

But Scottish Tory Holyrood group leader Ruth Davidson said: 'Their clear overreaction only confirms in people's minds that they must have something to hide.

'Nobody is suggesting for a second that information would ever be published jeopardising a complainant's anonymity. That would be totally unacceptable.

'As the ruling party, it is the SNP's own Government who so badly let down women who came forward. It is therefore galling to hear them falsely accuse others of doing the same.'

The Scottish parliament's ruling body yesterday agreed that former First Minister Mr Salmond's document can be made public following a row between MSPs on the inquiry committee.

It had voted not to publish the evidence amid fears it could breach a court order. But after asking the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) for a final decision, a resubmitted version of the evidence will be published early next week.

It is expected Mr Salmond will make serious allegations under oath against Miss Sturgeon, senior officials and the Crown Office

It is expected Mr Salmond will make serious allegations under oath against Miss Sturgeon, senior officials and the Crown Office

Allegations, discussions, denials and a 'forgotten' key meeting between Sturgeon and Salmond

November 2017: Allegations regarding Alex Salmond's behaviour are raised with the SNP by Sky News. 

Nicola Sturgeon said she spoke to him about this – and he 'denied it'. No further action was taken.

March 29, 2018: Ms Sturgeon meets Geoff Aberdein in her Scottish parliament office where she has admitted they discussed the possibility of a meeting with Mr Salmond. Ms Sturgeon – after initially forgetting about this meeting – says there was 'the suggestion that the matter might relate to allegations of a sexual nature'.

April 2, 2018: Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond meet at the First Minister's home. According to Ms Sturgeon, this is the first time she heard of the complaints made against him. Despite this, she has insisted that the matters discussed were party business.

April 23, 2018: Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond hold a 'substantive' phone discussion. During this call, Ms Sturgeon claims that Mr Salmond asked whether she would speak to Leslie Evans about 'mediation' with the complainants. A special adviser was in the room at the time.

June 6, 2018: Ms Sturgeon writes to Mrs Evans to inform her that she has held discussions with Mr Salmond.

June 7, 2018: Ms Sturgeon again meets Mr Salmond, this time in Aberdeen ahead of the SNP party conference.

July 14, 2018: Ms Sturgeon meets Mr Salmond at her home near Glasgow.

July 18, 2018: Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond speak again on the phone. Ms Sturgeon said that 'by this time' she was 'anxious – as party leader and from the perspective of preparing my party for any potential public issue – to know whether his handling of the matter meant it was likely to become public in the near future.'

This is the last time Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond speak. During this time they also exchange a number of WhatsApp messages in which they discuss the affair – including Mr Salmond's decision to seek a judicial review over the government's probe into the two complaints. 

January 2019: Mr Salmond wins sexual harassment inquiry case against Scottish government and is awarded £500,000 in legal fees.  

March 23, 2020: Alex Salmond is cleared of all sexual assault charges and his supporters demanded a full inquiry into the Scottish Government's handling of the scandal.

January 24, 2021: Speaking on the Andrew Marr show, Ms Sturgeon denies misleading the Scottish Parliament after 'forgetting' to tell MSPs about her meeting with Mr Salmond's aide on March 29, 2018.

February 8, 2021: Peter Murrell, the SNP's chief executive and the First Leader’s husband, is accused of a 'dismal and shifty' performance as he gave evidence to the inquiry on Zoom.

February 16, 2021: Mooted date for Ms Sturgeon to appear before the inquiry. 

The move is likely to see Mr Salmond appear before the inquiry on Wednesday.

It is expected he will make serious allegations under oath against Miss Sturgeon, senior officials and the Crown Office.

After two meetings yesterday the SPCB's chairman, presiding officer Ken Macintosh, said the group had 'collectively agreed that on balance it is possible to publish the submission' with some redactions. Publication by the parliament means the evidence can be included in the inquiry's final report on the affair – and for questioning witnesses.

Opposition MSPs have welcomed the move following concerns that SNP members on the committee had not wanted Mr Salmond to attend over fears it could damage Miss Sturgeon.

The Holyrood inquiry is examining the Scottish Government's probe into two harassment complaints against Mr Salmond in 2018. A judicial review ruled the investigation had been unlawful and 'tainted by apparent bias'.

Mr Salmond was awarded more than £512,000 in taxpayer cash for his legal fees. He and Miss Sturgeon are the only two witnesses left to appear before MSPs over the affair, with the First Minister due to be the last to give evidence.

Mr Salmond made a submission to James Hamilton, QC, who is investigating whether Miss Sturgeon breached the ministerial code over the affair.

In the document, he accuses his successor of repeatedly misleading Holyrood in relation to meetings they held about the probe in 2018 and when she found out about the official complaints. If found to have breached the ministerial code, Miss Sturgeon could be expected to resign.

The evidence was also sent to the Holyrood inquiry as part of their probe – but they had refused to publish it over legal fears relating to a court order put in place during Mr Salmond's trial in March last year.

He was acquitted on all 13 charges of sexual assault, including attempted rape.

Last week, the Spectator magazine went to court to seek clarity on the court order, with an amendment published by judge Lady Dorrian. However, the committee voted by five votes to four against publishing the submission.

Mr Salmond's lawyers therefore submitted a revised version of the evidence to put the legality 'beyond doubt'. This is the version addressed by the SPCB yesterday and which will now be published.

Last night, Mr Macintosh wrote to inquiry convener Linda Fabiani, saying: 'Following two meetings of the SPCB today, at which a range of opinions were aired, the SPCB collectively agreed that on balance it is possible to publish the submissions by Alex Salmond on the ministerial code.'

Scottish Labour's interim leader Jackie Baillie said: 'This decision is most welcome and should pave the way for Mr Salmond appearing before the committee next week.'

But Nationalist MSP George Adam said: 'People across Scotland will be utterly bewildered that the corporate body of the national parliament has ignored clear legal advice and decided to publish information which it knows could jeopardise the court-ordered anonymity of complainants in a sexual offence case.'

A Scottish parliament spokesman said: 'The committee will be writing to Mr Salmond to invite him to give evidence to the committee on February 24.'

A spokesman for Miss Sturgeon said: 'The publication of this submission changes nothing as far as the First Minister is concerned, as she has always expected to be questioned on its contents.

'The only frustration is that she has still not had the chance to rebut the claims and conspiracy stories that have been levelled at her – and has lost count of how many times she has agreed to appear before the committee, only for the date to be postponed.'

Why the Alex Salmond Inquiry is so crucial to the SNP's IndyRef2 campaign and how Nicola Sturgeon's husband found himself at the centre of the scandal over secret meeting at the  family home in Glasgow

The Alex Salmond inquiry could fatally damage Nicola Sturgeon's leadership and dash her hopes of a second independence referendum.  And if her husband Peter Murrell, chief executive of the SNP, is found to be lying to protect her, she could face investigation herself. 

Alex Salmond believes his successor misled the Scottish parliament and broke the ministerial code by giving 'false' evidence about her meetings with him, which her husband's evidence could help prove. 

The row centres on a meeting between Miss Sturgeon and Mr Salmond at her Glasgow home on April 2, 2018, which she said later was the first time she heard of the sexual harassment complaints made against her predecessor. 

Her husband Peter evidence is central to the scandal, because if it undermines her claims it could shatter her reputation and potentially see her forced from office. 

Murrell’s evidence is key to the whole inquiry because a key issue facing Nicola Sturgeon is whether she broke the ministerial code of conduct by meeting Alex Salmond to discuss a government matter in her own home but failed to invite civil servants, take minutes or disclose the meeting. 

He has now been accused of giving misleading and muddled evidence to MSPs about what he knew. 

It would also add fuel to claims by Mr Salmond's allies that Mr Sturgeon was conspiring to oust him once and for all and her SNP boss husband was helping her force the issue.

Why was an inquiry called?

The inquiry was set up to examine what went wrong with the government's investigation of two internal harassment complaints against Mr Salmond.

The government conceded its process had been 'unlawful' and agreed to pay the former SNP leader £500,000 in expenses after he launched a judicial review action in the courts.

What has Nicola Sturgeon said?

The First Minister said the first time she heard of the sexual harassment complaints made against her predecessor was when he told her himself at her home in April 2018.

But in her submissions to the inquiry Ms Sturgeon said she had 'forgotten' about a meeting with a former aide to Mr Salmond three days prior.

She said: 'I thought Mr Salmond may be about to resign from the SNP and that, as a result of this or other aspects of how he intended to handle the matter he was dealing with, the party could have been facing a public/media issue that we would require to respond to. As Party Leader, I considered it important that I knew if this was in fact the case in order that I could prepare the party to deal with what would have been a significant issue.' 

What has Alex Salmond said?

Mr Salmond says Nicola Sturgeon's claim she had 'forgotten' a meeting where she discussed sexual harassment allegations with a former aide of his before meeting him at her home undermines her evidence, calling it 'ridiculous'.

He said in his written submissions to the inquiry last month: 'In her written submission to the Committee, the First Minister has subsequently admitted to that meeting on 29th March 2018, claiming to have previously 'forgotten' about it. That is, with respect, untenable.

'The pre-arranged meeting in the Scottish Parliament of 29th 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 2nd April was on SNP Party business'.

Who is SNP chief executive Peter Murrell and why is it important what Nicola Sturgeon's husband says about the April 2 meeting?

Peter Murrell's evidence is that he thought Alex Salmond, the former Leader of the SNP, was 'popping in for a chat' with his wife, the current Leader of the SNP. He said that he didn't ask what it was about and was out of the house at the time. 

Who is Peter Murrell and what did he say about the meeting?  

Mr Murrell has been chief executive of the SNP since 1999, when he took over the role from Michael Russell. He had previously worked in the Banff and Buchan constituency office of the former first minister, Alex Salmond.  In July 2010, Mr Murrell married then Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The married couple's evidence doesn't appear to match because she claims this was because it was about party business. Yet Mr Murrell is chief executive of the party, but previously said he thought the meeting was Scottish Government business and he wasn’t involved. 

On what the meetings between his wife and Alex Salmond were about 

In written submissions to the inquiry:  'I has a sense that something serious was being discussed. The nature of Nicola's job means that when she tells me she can't discuss something, I don't press it' 

In evidence in December: 'I was not aware of the capacity in which she was having those meetings.'

In evidence this month: 'I wasn't aware that the meeting was for a purpose. I just thought he was popping in for a chat about, you know, any, any matter'

On whether he was in the house

In evidence December: Murrell first told the committee three times that he wasn't home during the meetings between his wife and Alex Salmond. 

Later in the session he said: 'I came home from work and there were still people in the house at that point. I arrived home not long before the meeting ended.'

In evidence this month:  'I wasn't here for any part of the meeting, I happened to arrive home just as the meeting was finishing; that's all I can say, it's not complicated. I absolutely refute what's being suggested but I just happened to arrive home as the meeting was ending.

What if he lied to the Inquiry? 

Wilfully making a false statement under oath is punishable by up to five years in jail. But it would also have dire political consequences for his wife and the SNP. Mr Murrell denies he has lied about anything.  

Why was he reappearing at the inquiry today?

Concerns were raised over the contradictions Mr Murrell allegedly gave.

This led to the the Scottish Conservatives saying they would trigger a vote on whether Nicola Sturgeon misled Parliament if he did not re-appear and clarify his comments.

What will happen next?

After Mr Murrell's appearance, the former first minister Mr Salmond was expected to appear before the committee on Tuesday but has refused until a dossier containing allegations about Nicola Sturgeon is published. Nicola Sturgeon is expected to appear next Tuesday.

Nicola SturgeonSNP

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