Russia-Ukraine crisis: Michael Gove says he hopes Alex Salmond 'repents' over RT chat show

Michael Gove has said he hopes Alex Salmond "repents" over his decision to host a chat show on the Kremlin-backed television station RT.

Michael Gove

Mr Gove said the former first minister made a "distinguished contribution" for much of his time in power.

But Mr Salmond and others in the Yes movement had "made a fundamental miscalculation", Mr Gove said.

The UK Government's Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities made the comments to journalists after giving evidence to a Holyrood committee.

Mr Salmond has faced growing calls to quit his chat show, with critics branding him "Putin's useful idiot".

Mr Gove said: "With respect to Mr Salmond, I hope he repents his decision to associate himself with Putin's propaganda arm.

"Alex Salmond made a distinguished contribution for much of his time as First Minister and made a distinguished contribution to Parliament.

"But I hope he will reflect on the fact that he, and others in the Alba Party and the Yes movement, have made a fundamental miscalculation in their attitude towards Vladimir Putin's regime, and now is an opportunity to make it clear that they repudiate what Vladimir Putin, his propaganda arm and his supporters are doing."

Mr Gove said any decision about the future of RT “is one for Ofcom”, the broadcast regulator.

He said: “The future of a channel like RT depends on the decision of an independent regulator in a democracy like ours.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton previously labelled Mr Salmond “an ​embarrassment not just to the high office he once served, but to the whole of Scotland”.