Holyrood inquiry: Sturgeon misled parliament over handling of claims against Salmond

Nicola Sturgeon misled a Scottish Parliament committee and her government “badly” let down women who lodged complaints against Alex Salmond, a committee of MSPs has concluded.

The findings are separate to the independent inquiry by SC James Hamilton, a senior Irish lawyer, which cleared the First Minister of breaching the ministerial code last night.

In the report, which was partially leaked last week, the committee said they “find it hard to believe” that the First Minister had “no knowledge of any concerns about inappropriate behaviour on the part of Mr Salmond prior to November 2017”, adding: “If she did have such knowledge, then she should have acted upon it. If she did have such knowledge, then she has misled the committee.”

The report also concludes that Sturgeon misled the committee by giving an “inaccurate account” of what happened when she met Salmond at her home on 2 April 2018 in her written evidence. It said that Sturgeon “did in fact leave Mr Salmond with the impression that she would, if necessary, intervene”.

The Scottish government’s handling of sexual harassment complaints also came under fire in the report. It said:“Two women brought forward complaints and they were badly let down. This was a policy and procedure in which they should have had confidence. Instead, their complaints were thrust into the public domain in a way they could never have imagined, through the leaking of the allegations, a subsequent judicial review and ultimately this inquiry.”

Three SNP members released a statement distancing themselves from some of the report’s findings after it was published, accusing some of their fellow committee members of “skewed focus, overt politicisation and lamentable disregard for complainers”. Sturgeon has previously criticised the partisan nature of the committee and is pointing to the Hamilton Report as the truly independent inquiry.

Sturgeon is expected to survive a no-confidence vote today following the Scottish Greens’ confirmation that they would no longer support the vote after Hamilton “clearly concluded” the First Minister did not breach the ministerial code.