Could The Spectator’s Alex Salmond court case bring down Nicola Sturgeon?
Pundits believe legal challenge could trigger release of evidence that implicates Scottish first minister
The inquiry into the Scottish government’s handling of sexual assault allegations against Alex Salmond may be handed fresh - and allegedly damning - evidence as a result of a newly mounted legal challenge by The Spectator.
The magazine is asking for Scotland’s second-most senior judge to amend a court order imposed during the former first minister’s trial last year that “is being held up as a reason why a dossier of allegations against Nicola Sturgeon cannot be put before MSPs”, The Times reports.
After being acquitted last March of multiple counts of sexual assault and an attempted rape, Salmond described the allegations as “deliberate fabrications for a political purpose”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Certain information” that he had been unable to disclose during the trial would “see the light of day” in the future, he added.
Some pundits interpreted his comments as a threat against Sturgeon over her role in the prosecution. And that theory is being fuelled by suggestions that the information at the centre of the new court battle could include damaging disclosures about Salmond’s successor.
The Spectator is believed to be seeking a ruling from the High Court in Edinburgh in order to publish details from Salmond’s submission to the ongoing Holyrood investigation into the “government’s botched internal inquiry” into the allegations against him, according to The Guardian.
The legal bid comes as Sturgeon is drawn into a war of words with “Conservative and Labour leaders over her private meetings with Salmond where they discussed harassment claims against him”, the paper adds.
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has claimed that Sturgeon’s written evidence about the meetings “utterly contradicted” what the first minister had initially told her parliament about them.
Along with Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s acting leader, Davidson has called for Sturgeon to quit if found to have broken the ministerial code.
The row over whether to release Salmond’s submission has split the committee of MSPs leading the investigation into the government’s inquiry. During a four-hour meeting on Tuesday, the committee voted by five to four against publishing a statement that Salmond claims is key to his case alleging that Sturgeon broke the ministerial code.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joe Evans is the world news editor at TheWeek.co.uk. He joined the team in 2019 and held roles including deputy news editor and acting news editor before moving into his current position in early 2021. He is a regular panellist on The Week Unwrapped podcast, discussing politics and foreign affairs.
Before joining The Week, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the UK and Ireland for German newspapers and magazines. A series of features on Brexit and the Irish border got him nominated for the Hostwriter Prize in 2019. Prior to settling down in London, he lived and worked in Cambodia, where he ran communications for a non-governmental organisation and worked as a journalist covering Southeast Asia. He has a master’s degree in journalism from City, University of London, and before that studied English Literature at the University of Manchester.
-
Who actually needs life insurance?
The Explainer If you have kids or are worried about passing on debt, the added security may be worth it
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Sexual wellness trends to know, from products and therapies to retreats and hotels
The Week Recommends Talking about pleasure and sexual health is becoming less taboo
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?
Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak and the right-wing press: heading for divorce?
Talking Point The Telegraph launches 'assault' on PM just as many Tory MPs are contemplating losing their seats
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
How the biggest election year in history might play out
The Explainer Votes in world's biggest democracies, as well as its most 'despotic' and 'stressed' countries, face threats of violence and suppression
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published