Alex Salmond writes to Theresa May about his RT show

Alex Salmond has written a letter of complaint to the Prime Minister following reports that Downing Street believed his TV programme on a Kremlin-backed broadcaster was ill-advised.

The former First Minister was reacting to reports quoting a Downing Street source saying that he should “reconsider” his “curious” decision to host a programme on RT, a channel criticised for screening pro-Putin propaganda.

In his letter, Mr Salmond claimed that if the quote, originally published on the Politics Home website, reflected Theresa May’s view then there were serious implications for freedom of speech.

Writing ahead of the first screening of The Alex Salmond Show on RT, the former SNP leader said: “Since the first of this series of programmes, produced independently by my own Scottish production company Slainte Media Ltd is due to be screened by RT UK tomorrow morning I require to know urgently if this accurately reflects your position as Prime Minister.

“I need hardly tell you that using the power of your office to seek to dissuade a private citizen from broadcasting on a channel which is duly licensed by the British broadcasting authority, Ofcom, carries with it the most serious possible implications for freedom of speech in this country.

“Will you now tell me by return if this is a genuine quote or not and whether it reflects your position as Prime Minister?”

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