Sturgeon bombshell: First Minister misled parliament concludes inquiry
In an explosive development in the ongoing Holyrood saga, a Scottish parliamentary committee has concluded that Nicola Sturgeon misled parliament over the Alex Salmond affair, it has been reported this evening.
In a majority vote, MSPs on Holyrood’s harassment committee decided that Sturgeon gave an “inaccurate account” of her actions, meaning she misled the cross-party investigation into the botched sexual misconduct probe against the former first minister.
This amounted to a “potential” breach of the ministerial code which states that any minister knowingly in breach should offer to resign.
James Matthews, of Sky News, broke the story.
The word “knowingly” was excluded from the committee’s text, which might offer Sturgeon a lifeline. But the committee’s conclusion is a huge blow to the embattled First Minister who will face significant pressure to resign ahead of elections in May. She’ll be determined to stick it out.
The committee’s verdict centres on a meeting between Salmond and Sturgeon at her Glasgow home on 2 April 2018. The First Minister initially insisted that she did not know what Salmond wanted to discuss but changed her story as further evidence emerged.
The development comes after Conservative MP David Davis used parliamentary privilege to disclose messages from an anonymous whistle-blower which, he claimed, showed that Sturgeon’s chief of staff knew about allegations against Salmond several weeks before Sturgeon claimed she first heard about them, suggesting a “concerted effort by senior members of the SNP to encourage complaints” against the former first minister.
See The Hound for more below.
AZ fears dispelled
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been deemed safe by both the EU and UK medicines regulators, dispelling fears that the vaccine might be causing blood clots.
The European Medicines Agency concluded that the AZ vaccine is “safe and effective” in a review that followed its suspension by 17 EU nations this week. Among them is Germany whose own national regulator will be under pressure to reverse its decision.
The UK’s MHRA has also confirmed what seemed all-but certain from the start of the blood clot panic: that there is “no difference” in the blood clot rate after having the injection. There have been five reported cases of cerebral venous sinus thromboembolism so far in the UK among 11 million people vaccinated, one of which has been fatal. No causal link with the vaccine has been established.
Boris Johnson – who is having the AZ vaccine tomorrow – went out of his way at tonight’s press briefing to reassure the public about the safety of the UK’s vaccines as well as its supply.
Speaking in the Commons earlier today Matt Hancock, the health secretary, had confirmed that a shipment of five million AstraZeneca doses manufactured in India has been delayed by a month and that a separate batch of 1.7 million doses is being held up because they need to be retested.
The PM denied the Indian government was blocking supplies of the vaccine and stressed that vaccines were an “international effort”. But in an echo of the EU’s announcement yesterday, Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the Serum Institute of India tasked with manufacturing the doses, said that he had been “directed to prioritise the huge needs of India”. If it is indeed an act of vaccine nationalism, let’s just hope the extra vaccines can help India turn the tide against Covid.
Johnson insisted the impact on the rollout would be negligible. The government, he said, was still on track to offer all UK adults a jab by the end of July, no appointments would be cancelled and the roadmap for unlocking England would be unaffected.
Business as usual, nothing to worry about, was the message. But will the public buy it? After a year of relentlessly alarmist Covid messaging, many may find it hard to believe the government when it downplays the impact a vaccine shortfall might have.
But the reassurance appears sound – the rollout is still well ahead of schedule, and the vast majority of those most at risk have already had at least one jab. What is incredible is that the extraordinarily successful has run this far without a hiccup.Nyet amused
US-Russia relations have long been frosty. They are now fast approaching absolute zero following a series of unflattering remarks by Joe Biden about Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with ABC News Biden confirmed that he believed Putin was “a killer” and that he would “pay a price” for his alleged meddling in America’s 2020 election. He also admitted that he had told Putin in a private meeting in 2011, “I don’t think you have a soul.” (“We understand each other,” was Putin’s deadpan reply).
The comments follow the publication of a CIA intelligence assessment that found that Putin personally authorised efforts to undermine Biden’s presidential candidacy.
Biden’s barbs haven’t gone down well. Russia has recalled its ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, and the Russian foreign ministry released a statement accusing Washington of bringing relations between the two countries to a “blind alley”.
Putin fired back at Biden, rejecting accusations of election meddling, and responded to being branded a killer with the vintage comeback, “it takes one to know one”, quoting from a Russian playground rhyme. He then, rather acidly, wished Biden “good health.”
Mattie Brignal,
News Editor