Sketch: Just a sucker for a rich man? Salmond feels the heat from a little too much Sun

After a couple of rounds that clearly went to the Labour leader and with Mr Salmond looking very uncomfortable, Ms Lamont suggested that the First Minister’s willingness to associate himself with two hugely powerful oligarchs showed that he had an “infatuation with very rich men”.

For once, the laughter from the Labour MSPs drowned out the Pavlovian braying from the SNP benches as Ms Lamont went for it.

Her accusation was in response to Mr Salmond’s claim that his relationship with the Murdoch empire was all about creating jobs for Scotland (and nothing to do with getting the support of the Sun at last year’s Scottish election).

“He says it is about jobs. I think he just likes rich men,” said Ms Lamont, repeating her point.

“Some say the First Minister has been devious, conniving, double dealing.

“Isn’t he just trying to cover up the fact that a rich man has played him for a fool again? Is it not the case he is no statesman . . . just a sucker?”

But by now the rich men references were sounding a little laboured and the killer punch failed to arrive.

Indeed, Mr Salmond had looked weaker a moment earlier. Ms Lamont was more effective when she focused on the SNP’s view of the controversial takeover of BSkyB by Mr Murdoch’s News Corporation.

Despite Mr Salmond indicating that he was prepared to lobby the UK government in support of the takeover, Ms Lamont revealed that a host of SNP politicians opposed the move.

Mr Salmond countered, saying that it was “patently obvious” that politicians in his party opposed the deal after it came to light that the News of the World had hacked into the mobile belonging to the teenage murder victim Milly Dowler. At this Ms Lamont’s eyes lit up. After all, it was now well known that the revulsion over the hacking of the schoolgirl’s phone had not prevented Mr Salmond from entertaining Murdoch at Bute House.

“After that devastating revelation the First Minister became the only senior politician in this country, perhaps the only one in the world, to invite him [Murdoch] round for tea,” said Ms Lamont. “His newspapers might have been investigated for bribery, perverting the course of justice, destroying evidence and perjury but Rupert is still welcome in Wee Eck’s house. Eck . . . Eck still puts the kettle on for Rupert.

“Doesn’t the First Minister realise that all he is achieving is to demean the office he craved for so long.”

To that, Wee Eck was then reduced to holding up a picture showing Ed Miliband holding the Sun newspaper and accusing Labour of “humbug and hypocrisy” – but somehow his words sounded a little bit hollow.