Tory ex-minister claims evidence of Sturgeon aide meddling in Salmond case

A Conservative former cabinet minister claimed in parliament on Tuesday that there was evidence suggesting the chief of staff to Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish first minister, interfered in the investigation of sexual harassment complaints against her predecessor, Alex Salmond.

The claim by David Davis, former Brexit secretary, follows allegations by Salmond that his former protégé’s closest associates were involved in a “malicious and concerted” effort to remove him from public life.

Sturgeon’s associates, including her chief of staff, Liz Lloyd, have denied the accusation and the first minister herself has accused Salmond of peddling wild conspiracy theories.

The bitter rift between the current and former leaders of the governing Scottish National party has fuelled growing tensions among members and threatens to undermine its push for a second referendum on Scottish independence.

Davis told the House of Commons on Tuesday evening that he had it “on good authority” that a February 2018 exchange of messages between the civil servant then investigating Salmond’s conduct and another official suggested the first minister’s chief of staff was “interfering in the complaints process”.

“The investigating officer complained, ‘Liz interference v. bad’. I assume that that means very bad,” Davis said.

Lloyd wrote last year in a submission to a Scottish parliamentary committee investigating the government’s handling of the complaints against Salmond that she had “no involvement in the investigation”. She said she rejected entirely the allegation that she was part of “some form of conspiracy” against the former first minister.

A spokesperson for Sturgeon said on Tuesday evening that the comment read out by Davis concerning the first minister’s chief of staff did not relate to the two women who had made complaints against Salmond.

Under an unprecedented legal challenge from Salmond in 2019, the Scottish government conceded that its investigation into two complaints against him by female civil servants was unlawful because it was “procedurally unfair” and “tainted by apparent bias”. Salmond was acquitted last year in the High Court in Edinburgh of all 13 of the sexual offences charges against him.

During an appearance lasting nearly six hours before the committee last month, Salmond suggested messages he had been shown ahead of his trial demonstrated that there had been “collusion of witnesses” and “construction of evidence” involving Sturgeon’s allies.

In his speech in parliament, Davis echoed Salmond’s claims, citing messages among SNP officials including Peter Murrell, who is the party chief executive and Sturgeon’s husband, that he said showed improper meddling in a police inquiry.

The spokesperson for Sturgeon said every message involving SNP staff had already been seen by the parliamentary committee investigating the handling of the complaints against Salmond. “As with Mr Salmond’s previous claims and cherry-picking of messages, the reality is very different to the picture being presented,” the spokesperson said.

Some analysts have questioned whether the messages are the smoking gun Salmond suggests, citing judge Lady Dorrian’s decision ahead of his trial that they should not be put before the jury.

“If there was compelling evidence of a conspiracy, why would a judge refuse to allow that to go in front of a criminal trial?” Andrew Tickell, lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University, said last month.