Nicola Sturgeon book 'causing heartache for Alex Salmond's widow', claims former SNP minister
Nicola Sturgeon's book is "causing a lot of heartache to Alex Salmond's widow", a former SNP minister has said.
Alex Neil said the former first minister's"attacks" on her predecessor are hurting Moira, the later former first minister's widow.
He also said said the book is "doing a lot of damage" to Sturgeon's reputation and is harming the SNP's chances at next year's Holyrood election.
Neil told the Record: "Most of what I have read in the published extracts so far is nonsense.
"The attacks on the late Alex Salmond are disgraceful and causing a lot of heartache to Alex's widow Moira.
"Regarding those events in which I was involved there are a lot of inaccuracies and in numerous cases the book is just down right wrong.
"I'm beginning to wonder if this is Nicola's first work of fiction.
"None of what I have read adds anything to the Scottish body politic or informs future historians.
"It is doing a lot of damage to Nicola's reputation as well as damaging the SNP's election prospects in 2026."
Sturgeon suggested in her memoir, Frankly, that Salmond leaked details about an investigation into sexual misconduct claims about him to the press.
She also said that the Queen asked her for gossip about the scandal and that Salmond hadn't read the 2014 independence referendum white paper.
Neil served as Health Secretary and later Social Justice Secretary under Salmond and Sturgeon.
Sturgeon's book is officially released tomorrow, but copies have already gone on sale in Waterstones shops.
A sit down interview with ITV about the book was broadcast on Monday. She is also doing an event at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Thursday.
Salmond was accused of asking a female staff member into his bedroom at Bute House before making sexual advances when he was First Minister in December 2013.
In January 2019, Mr Salmond was charged with 14 offences, including attempted rape and sexual assault, but he was awarded compensation of £500,000 by the Scottish Government in August 2019 and later acquitted of all charges after trial in March 2020.
Salmond died aged 69 in North Macedonia last year.
Sturgeon had served as his deputy for a decade, seven of those as deputy first minister.
This was before she took over as first minister in 2014. She served for nearly nine years.
Neil has been an outspoken critic of the SNP over the last few years.
The SNP was approached for comment.
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