Alex Salmond inquiry: Nicola Sturgeon has said she's 'not surprised' by 'partisan leak' from Salmond Inquiry

Nicola Sturgeon has said a "very partisan leak" from the Alex Salmond inquiry is "not that surprising" as the committee is understood to have deemed she misled parliament.

MSPs on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints Committee voted 5-4 that the First Minister gave an "inaccurate" account of a meeting with her predecessor during the live investigation, the PA news agency understands.

This would amount to misleading the Scottish Parliament.

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Alex Salmond inquiry: Committee concludes Nicola Sturgeon 'misled parliament'
Photo by Andy BuchananPhoto by Andy Buchanan
Photo by Andy Buchanan

She told Sky News: "I stand by all of the evidence I gave to the committee, all eight hours' worth of evidence.

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"What's been clear is that opposition members of this committee made their minds up about me before I muttered a single word of evidence, their public comments have made that clear.

"So this leak from the committee - very partisan leak - tonight before they've finalised the report is not that surprising."

She added that she is awaiting the result of the James Hamilton QC investigation into whether she broke the ministerial code.

The decision is likely to increase pressure on Ms Sturgeon to stand down before May's election, although it is unclear whether the act was deemed a resignation-worthy offence.

A Scottish Parliament spokeswoman said the committee is still considering its report.

It is expected to be published on Tuesday.

The Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints was set up after a successful judicial review by Mr Salmond resulted in the Scottish Government's investigation being ruled unlawful and "tainted by apparent bias", with a £512,250 payout being awarded to him for legal fees in 2019.

This latest development comes after Conservative MP David Davis used parliamentary privilege in the House of Commons to read out messages that he suggested showed a "concerted effort by senior members of the SNP to encourage complaints" against the former first minister.

According to Mr Davis, the messages disclosed by a whistleblower "demands serious investigation".

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A spokesman for the First Minister said: "The First Minister told the truth to the committee in eight hours of evidence, and stands by that evidence.

"It is clear from past public statements that opposition members of this committee had prejudged the First Minister at the outset of the inquiry and before hearing a word of her evidence, so this partisan and selective briefing - before the committee has actually published its final report - is hardly surprising.

"The question of the First Minister's adherence to the ministerial code is being considered independently by James Hamilton, and we expect to receive and publish his report soon."

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: "I am not going to prejudge the outcome of the committee report and we await its findings, but if it does conclude that the First Minister has misled Parliament and potentially breached the ministerial code then that is incredibly serious."

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: "The Committee will publish its findings in the coming days and we will wait for that report.

"But we have already detailed that Nicola Sturgeon lied to the Scottish Parliament and for that, she must resign.”

Reporting by PA

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