SNP chief Peter Murrell to be recalled to Alex Salmond inquiry
- Published
Mr Murrell and Ms Sturgeon have been married since 2010
SNP chief executive Peter Murrell will return to give more evidence to the inquiry into the government's handling of sexual harassment allegations against Alex Salmond on Monday.
Mr Murrell, the husband of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, first appeared at the committee in December.
However opposition MSPs believe he contradicted himself, and Ms Sturgeon, over some of the details.
The Conservatives had threatened to trigger a vote on whether Ms Sturgeon misled Parliament if Mr Murrell did not reappear at the committee.
The Holyrood inquiry was set up to review the government's handling of internal complaints against the former first minister after he successfully raised a legal challenge against its investigation processes.
The government was forced to pay the former first minister more than £500,000 in legal expenses after it conceded its approach had been "unlawful" due to a procedural flaw.
Its agenda for Monday morning says it will discuss "division between Scottish government and party political matters".
Members have repeatedly complained that their work is being hindered by "obstruction" and "obfuscation" by key players.
The move largely centres on a meeting between Ms Sturgeon and her predecessor Mr Salmond at her Glasgow home, which she shares with Mr Murrell, on 2 April 2018.
During this meeting, the first minister was told by her predecessor of complaints of harassment made against him.
Mr Murrell, who has been chief executive of the SNP since 2000 and married to Ms Sturgeon since 2010, told MSPs that he was at work at the time of the meeting.
He said he had known not to press his wife for details because of her role as first minister.
Mr Murrell was pressed repeatedly about whether the meetings between Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond were SNP business, as the first minister has insisted, or government business - which would need to be officially recorded.
The inquiry is examining the Scottish government's botched handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond
He said that prior to the first meeting, Ms Sturgeon "thought it was a party matter", but that it then became clear that it was "a Scottish government matter".
And he said he did not accept that this contradicted Ms Sturgeon's previous statements.
This point is particularly important, Ms Sturgeon's opponents believe, because government meetings should be recorded in her diary and official notes should be taken - which did not happen.
They argue that this suggests the first minister may have misled parliament and breached the ministerial code over her dealings with Mr Salmond - for which Ms Sturgeon would be expected to resign.
'Nothing further to add'
Opposition MSPs say Mr Murrell first claimed not to know about the meeting beforehand, before later suggesting that he had known the day before.
They also claim that Mr Murrell appeared to say he was not at home for the meeting, but then said he had returned home while it was ongoing.
Committee convener Linda Fabiani has previously sought clarity from Mr Murrell on the meeting.
Responding to a letter from Ms Fabiani, Mr Murrell said Ms Sturgeon had mentioned the planned meeting the night before it took place.
He wrote: "My recollection is that Nicola mentioned to me on the Sunday evening that Mr Salmond would be visiting the next day, 2 April 2018.
"I have nothing further to add to my written and oral evidence on this matter."
- Published9 December 2020
- Published8 December 2020
