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South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Salmond may have leaked sexual misconduct inquiry details, claims Sturgeon
In an excerpt of her new memoir, Frankly, published by The Times, Ms Sturgeon insisted she was not the one who had leaked the outcome of the Scottish government investigation into her predecessor as first minister to the press. She said: 'It crossed my mind many times that it might have been Alex himself or someone acting on his behalf. 'To those with no experience of the dark arts of media manipulation, I know this will sound preposterous. However, in many ways it would have been classic Alex. 'I had known him to make these kinds of calculations in the past. If there is damaging information certain to emerge about you and there is nothing you can do to stop it, get it out in a way that gives you the best chance of controlling the narrative.' Mr Salmond, who died last year, was investigated by the Scottish government in 2018 after two women made allegations of sexual misconduct against him. The findings of that investigation were leaked to The Daily Record on the day before they were due to be published, prompting Mr Salmond to launch a judicial review of the handling of the inquiry. The Scottish government initially defended the judicial review, before dropping its defence. But a separate police investigation resulted in a criminal trial in 2020 in which Mr Salmond was cleared of all 14 charges, being found not guilty on 12 counts while prosecutors withdrew another charge and one was found not proven. The next year Mr Salmond, who had been Scottish first minister between 2007 and 2014 as leader of the SNP, founded the pro-independence Alba Party. In her memoir, Ms Sturgeon said Mr Salmond had informed her that he was being investigated in April 2018 and initially appeared to be 'upset and mortified' before he 'became cold'. Claiming he 'effectively admitted the substance of one of the complaints, but claimed that it had been a 'misunderstanding'', Ms Sturgeon said it had been 'evident' that Mr Salmond 'wanted me to intervene' to stop or divert the investigation. She added that her refusal to do so turned him against her and 'made the break-up of one of the most successful partnerships in modern British politics all but inevitable'. Ms Sturgeon also accused Mr Salmond of attempting to 'cast himself as the victim' and being 'prepared to traumatise, time and again, the women at the centre of it all'. She said: 'A conspiracy against Alex would have needed a number of women deciding to concoct false allegations, without any obvious motive for doing so. 'It would then have required criminal collusion between them, senior ministers and civil servants, the police and the Crown. 'That is what he was alleging. The 'conspiracy' was a fabrication, the invention of a man who wasn't prepared to reflect honestly on his own conduct.' In other extracts, published on Friday, Ms Sturgeon discussed her arrest in 2023, describing it as 'mental torture', her miscarriage in 2010 and her sexuality. Nicola Sturgeon served as Scottish first minister between 2014 and 2023. Her memoir, Frankly, will be published on Thursday.
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Shabana Mahmood vows to send foreign criminals ‘packing' when they are jailed
Foreign criminals will be sent 'packing', deported immediately when they receive a custodial sentence, the Justice Secretary has pledged. Shabana Mahmood has proposed a law change, which could save taxpayers an average £54,000 per year, per prison place. The changes would apply to prisoners serving fixed-term 'determinate' sentences, and authorities would retain their power not to deport a criminal but instead keep them in custody, for example, if the offender was planning further crimes against the UK's interests or national security. 'Our message is clear,' Ms Mahmood said. 'If you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing.' She also said: 'Deportations are up under this Government, and with this new law they will happen earlier than ever before.' Almost 5,200 foreign national offenders have been deported since July 2024, a 14% increase on the 12 months prior, according to the Government. The Justice Secretary's announcement follows a tweak in the law in June, expected to come into force in September, so prisoners face deportation 30% into their prison sentence rather than the current 50%. The Government will need Parliament to greenlight its proposal to bring this down to 0%. According to a Labour source, the previous Conservative government relied on prison transfer agreements with other countries to deport foreign national offenders, in deals which allow inmates to serve their custodial sentence in their 'home' country. This saw 945 prisoners sent to jails abroad between 2010 and 2023, equal to less than one-and-a-half criminals per week. Foreign national offenders make up around 12% of the prison population. Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'In Starmer's topsy turvy world investors are fleeing the country in their droves while record numbers of violent and sexual offenders from abroad are put up in our prisons. It's a farce. 'Yet again Starmer has refused to confront our broken human rights laws. 'He needs to grow a backbone and change them so we can actually deport these individuals. 'The safety of the British public is infinitely more important than the 'rights' of sick foreign criminals. 'If countries won't take back their nationals, Starmer should suspend visas and foreign aid. His soft-touch approach isn't working.'
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Police investigating door-cam cop for openly admitting he thought force's Big Brother tactics were wrong
Police have been condemned for seeing a father at home to 'warn' him about attending a protest against illegal migrants – despite one officer apologetically admitting that the visit was 'b*******'. Two West Midlands Police officers visited the man in Coventry to hand him a leaflet about 'correct' behaviour expected at public demonstrations. But one is in trouble after door-cam footage recorded him calling the visit 'b*******' and adding: 'It's not something I agree with, but I've been asked to do it.' The force has confirmed it is investigating the matter, including speaking to the officer and reviewing the video. Last night Reform leader Nigel Farage said: 'It's two-tier policing. 'Anybody who wants to peacefully protest about the growing sense of anger around the country over sexual assaults and crimes being committed by young men is being told either not to go, or their online conversations are now being censored.' Tory grandee David Davis said: 'People in the Midlands will be saying, 'Why aren't you investigating my burglary?' It is foolishly heavy-handed.' Yesterday's peaceful anti-illegal migrant protest was attended by hundreds outside Warwickshire County Council town hall in Nuneaton. The father, 37, had planned to attend but was paid a visit by the two officers on Friday afternoon. The man posted the doorbell footage on social media and it went viral, with the footage viewed millions of times. The officer tells the father: 'Warwickshire [Police] have asked me to come round and just, er, basically it's a load of b*******, mate, but it's about this protest tomorrow in Warwickshire.' The officer says he has been sent to give him a leaflet. He adds, laughing: 'It sounds daft, so I apologise, and it's really woeful. It's not something I agree with but I've been asked to do it.' The father replies: 'Do me a favour. Take it [leaflet] back to them and say we will no longer be silent and to f*** themselves. From me, with love.' The father, who works for a major construction company, said he did not know why police visited him, adding that 'numerous' others were visited by officers in Coventry ahead of the protest. The officer was being praised as a hero on social media, despite being investigated by his force. One social media user said: 'This copper needs a raise.'
