Nicola Sturgeon accused of 'cynical obfuscation' and 'sheer hypocrisy' over Alex Salmond inquiry

Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of “having something to hide" and of “sheer hypocrisy” around the Scottish Government’s refusal to release legal advice to the Alex Salmond inquiry.

Alex Salmond speaks outside the High Court in Edinburgh. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

The leader of the Scottish Conservatives in Holyrood, Ruth Davidson, rounded on the First Minister during First Minister’s Questions the day after the Scottish Parliament voted for a second time for the legal advice around the judicial review brought by the former first minister, Mr Salmond, to be released by the Scottish Government.

Ms Sturgeon and deputy first minister John Swinney have repeatedly claimed releasing the legal advice would breach the ministerial code.

MSP First Minister Nicola Sturgeon rejected the accusation she is disrespecting the will of parliament over her refusal to release legal advice to the Salmond inquiry

Ms Davidson accused Ms Sturgeon of “cynical obfuscation” and “sheer hypocrisy” for failing to release the advice despite two votes from Parliament demanding its release.

She said: "The sheer hypocrisy of this is overwhelming.

"Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP never tire of lecturing anyone who will listen about the will of Parliament and how it should be respected. Except, of course, when it doesn’t suit their purpose.

"She says the government will co-operate with the committee. In fact, she obstructs it.

"She says all relevant documents will be made available, she refuses to hand them over.

"She says repeatedly that the will of Parliament should be respected, but the only one disrespecting it is her.”

The legal advice provided to the Scottish Government would go some way to explaining why it contested and later conceded the judicial review action brought by Mr Salmond over the handling of harassment complaints against him.

The former first minister succeeded due to “apparent bias” in the procedure, which is now subject to a parliamentary inquiry, and defending the action cost the taxpayer more than £500,000 in costs and legal expenses.

Ms Davidson said the Scottish Government’s handling of the harassment complaints, the subsequent judicial review and the inquiry had “utterly failed” the women who had complained.

Suggesting the legal advice included warnings to the Scottish Government it was likely to lose due to the handling of the allegations being “deeply flawed”, she asked the First Minister which part, if any, was incorrect.

Responding, Ms Sturgeon refused to be drawn on the detail of the legal advice and rejected the accusation she has disrespected the will of Parliament.

She said due to the votes, ministers were going through the process detailed in the ministerial code, which could lead to the advice being disclosed to the Salmond inquiry.

After quoting the ministerial code, Ms Sturgeon said: “As Ruth Davidson knows, if I was to go into the detail I would stand here right now and I would breach the ministerial code.

"Perhaps Ruth Davidson wants that to be the case, but I am not going to do that.

"The Ministerial Code … sets out a process that ministers have to go through should legal advice be divulged.

"The starting point in the ministerial code is that ministers must not divulge the contents of legal advice unless certain tests are fulfilled and we are going through a process right now of consideration of those tests.

"That is the right and proper way of doing this and once that process has concluded the deputy first minister will update Parliament about the outcome of it.”

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