Ex-Alex Salmond aide denies former First Minister leaked details of sexual harassment probe
One Of Alex Salmond's closest aides has denied the late first minister leaked details of his sexual harassment investigation to the media.
Chris McEleny, former Alba party General Secretary and bagman for Salmond said the suggestion by Nicola Sturgeon in her memoir, Frankly, was 'blatantly untrue'.
Sturgeon claimed in the book that it could have been Salmond himself who disclosed to the media details of a Scottish Government investigation into sexual harassment complaints against him.
The details of specific complaints that had been investigated were revealed by our sister paper the Daily Record in August 2018.
However McEleny said he was confident Salmond did not leak the material as he would have been the one to do it on his behalf.
He said: 'Obviously in politics, when it's opportune to get certain stories out then you find a way to get them out. I just happened to be, more often than not,the person that would get those stories out for Alex. It wasn't an issue he raised with me or asked me to put out.
'To suggest that he would proactively leak something that led to, I would argue, the most damaging front page stories that any Scottish politician ever had to deal with, how would that make sense?'
McEleny said that while he disagrees with much of Sturgeon's comments in the book about Salmond and his propensity for revenge against her, he hoped the memoir may finally put an end to the 'psychodrama' of the Salmond/ Sturgeon years.
He said: 'I don't imagine many people who no longer like Nicola Sturgeon would say this, but I found much of her book quite enjoyable.
'Particularly when she talks about the lead up to 2007 and the sort of golden years of devolution.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
'But when you get to the bits where, for example, she suggests Alex leaked details of the complaint against him it jumps out as it's so blatantly untrue.
'Regardless I think most Nationalists are ready for the psychodrama to end. I don't see how it is going to bring the independence movement back together, but for some people it's the reason for their existence.
'The independence movement needs to move on. Alex was acquitted in Scotland's highest criminal court. He defeated the Scottish Government and they were deemed to have treated him unlawfully.
'I think he now rests as Scotland's greatest ever First Minister, and the book hopefully has brought Nicola some closure.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
16 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Scottish ministers face legal action over policies ‘inconsistent' with UK gender ruling
A campaign group that won a legal victory on the definition of gender is taking action against the Scottish government over policies it says are 'inconsistent' with the ruling. For Women Scotland's legal battle with Scottish ministers over the definition of a woman ended in the UK's supreme court, which ruled in April that the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 referred to a biological woman and biological sex. However, the group said it now had 'little choice' but to take further legal action as some policies regarding transgender pupils in schools and transgender people in custody remained in place, which the group said was 'in clear breach of the law'. The schools guidance for single-sex toilets says it is important that young people 'where possible, are able to use the facilities they feel most comfortable with'. The prison guidance allows for a transgender woman to be admitted into the women's estate if the person does not meet the violence against women and girls criteria, and there is no other basis to suppose they pose an unacceptable risk of harm to those housed in the women's estate. For Women Scotland has now applied to the court of session, seeking to quash the policies, which it says are 'inconsistent with the UK supreme court judgment of 16 April 2025'. It has raised an ordinary action for reduction – quashing – of the policies relating to schools and prisons, with the news first reported by Sunday Times Scotland. In a statement, the group said: 'Nothing has persuaded the government to take action and both policies remain stubbornly in place, to the detriment of vulnerable women and girls, leaving us little choice but to initiate further legal action. 'The Scottish ministers have 21 days to respond to the summons. If the policies have not been withdrawn by then, we will lodge the summons for calling, and the government will have to defend its policies in court. 'We are asking the court to issue a declarator that the school guidance and the prison guidance are unlawful and that they be reduced in whole. We are also asking that both policies are suspended in the meantime.' A Scottish government spokesperson said: 'It would be inappropriate to comment on live court proceedings.' For Women Scotland previously brought a series of challenges over the definition of 'woman' in Scottish legislation mandating 50% female representation on public boards. The last step of these ended in the supreme court ruling, which the campaign group's supporters hailed as a 'watershed for women'.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Gender-critical campaigners sue SNP ministers for defying trans ruling
Gender-critical campaigners are suing SNP ministers for defying the Supreme Court ruling over the definition of a woman. For Women Scotland said it had 'little choice but to initiate further legal action' after the Scottish Government failed to issue updated policies on access to female-only safe spaces. Formal proceedings have started in the effort to quash guidance for schools that states pupils should be able to use the lavatories and changing facilities they 'feel most comfortable with'. It also allows biological boys to compete against girls in school sports if they say they identify as female, The Sunday Times reported. In addition, the campaign group's legal action is targeting rules in Scottish prisons, which allow biologically male prisoners to be housed in women's jails in certain circumstances. A trans woman can be imprisoned in a female jail if they have not hurt or threatened women or girls and there is no basis to suppose they pose an unacceptable risk. For Women Scotland has now applied to the Court of Session in Edinburgh seeking to quash the policies, which it says are 'inconsistent with the UK Supreme Court judgment of April 16 2025'. The Supreme Court ruled trans women are not women for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010, with the definition based on biological sex. Some public bodies, including the Scottish Parliament and Police Scotland, have issued updated guidance banning trans people from using single-sex toilets and changing rooms. John Swinney, the First Minister, said the rest of the public sector should await guidance on implementing the ruling from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) before acting. But interim guidance has been issued by the equalities watchdog stating that access to single-sex facilities in workplaces and public services should be based on biological sex. The EHRC has also told the Scottish Government it did not need to delay, noting that the law was already set out in the Supreme Court's 'very readable' ruling and this was 'effective immediately'. For Women Scotland warned Joe Griffin, the SNP administration's most senior civil servant, in June that it reserved 'the right to take further action if the Scottish Government continues to fail to uphold the law'. In a new statement, the group said: 'Nothing has persuaded the government to take action and both policies remain stubbornly in place, to the detriment of vulnerable women and girls, leaving us little choice but to initiate further legal action. 'The Scottish ministers have 21 days to respond to the summons. If the policies have not been withdrawn by then we will lodge the summons for calling, and the government will have to defend its policies in court. 'We are asking the court to issue a declarator that the school guidance and the prison guidance are unlawful and that they be reduced in whole. We are also asking that both policies are suspended in the meantime.' A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'It would be inappropriate to comment on live court proceedings.' The National Library of Scotland (NLS) has also been warned it faces legal action after removing a gender-critical book from a major exhibition commemorating its centenary. Human rights charity Sex Matters has written to the NLS warning that it could face thousands of claims for excluding The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht from its Dear Library display. Maya Forstater, the charity's chief executive, argued represented unlawful discrimination and harassment under the Equality Act 2010, which protects gender-critical beliefs. It emerged last week that the book, a collection of essays by feminists including JK Rowling, who had fought against Nicola Sturgeon's gender self-ID laws, had been selected for the exhibition. But Amina Shah, Scotland's national librarian and the NLS chief executive, decided to remove the book from the exhibition after coming under pressure from the library's LGBT+ staff network, who called it 'hate speech'. The NLS said the book would still be available to read in the library. A spokesman said: 'We will examine the contents of the letter and will respond in due course.'
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Edinburgh failing to honour childcare commitments
FAMILIES have been left paying thousands of pounds a year for childcare because Edinburgh City Council has reneged on a flagship Scottish Government policy that promises all children more than 1000 hours of free care at a nursery of their choice, it has been claimed. Under the policy, children aged three to five years old are entitled either to 30 free hours per week during term time or 22.8 hours per week for 50 weeks per year – a total of 1140 hours a year. These state-funded hours can be either a council-run nursery or a council-approved private one or with a registered childminder, according to the Government's Funding Follows The Child approach. Many working families say they choose privately run nurseries because they typically have longer opening hours and operate during school holidays, while some council nurseries are only open during school hours or term time, which don't fit with most work schedules. READ MORE: Fix visa problems to allow Gaza students to study in Scotland, Keir Starmer told However, in 2024, problems arose for families who were using private nurseries in Edinburgh but living in a bordering local authority area, when City of Edinburgh Council decided it would no longer fund free childcare in these circumstances. These cross-border families, who use Edinburgh nurseries either because they work in the city or because it is closest to their home, were told they could either find a new nursery in their own local authority or a council-run one in the city. But a group of impacted parents, many of whom were unable to find anything that met their childcare needs and working hours, are now claiming the move breaches both governmental policy and child rights, while discriminating against working parents. City of Edinburgh Council insists it is meeting statutory guidelines and claims its cross-border policy will lead to savings of £1 million. But the parents' group disputes this claim. It has shared freedom of information requests with The Ferret which the parents claim show savings are as little as £36,650 because almost as many children living in Edinburgh claim free places from nurseries in other local authorities. Several parents also shared emails from other councils willing to reimburse Edinburgh if cross-border private nursery places there could be granted. 'It had a real impact on his confidence' The Ferret spoke to families impacted – some living just metres outside the City of Edinburgh Council border – who were facing annual fees of more than £7000 if they did not remove their child from their private nursery. But some say they have been unable to find a nursery outside of Edinburgh that is open before they have to leave for work, or closes before they can return for pick-up. Others have been offered insufficient hours at council nurseries in Edinburgh, given work commitments, or have only been offered available hours at nurseries further away that would add hours on to already long commutes. Some had to cut working hours or ship in grandparents from other parts of the country. In one case, a mother was forced to give up her lunch break so she could pick her three-year-old up from a council nursery, where he had a free place for five mornings, and take him to a private nursery for the afternoon, as it was the only way she could find additional hours. Some parents have considered legal action and, backed by a leading professor in child law, they are calling for the Scottish Government to intervene. Private and third-sector nurseries – such as those run by charities and community groups – said they were also impacted. Claylands Nursery, in the western outskirts of Edinburgh, closed last July, after Edinburgh council decided that children attending from West Lothian, just a few miles away, would not receive funded places. It had asked the council for an exemption from the ruling, claiming the number of cross-border families that would be forced to leave would make their business unsustainable. Kirsten, a mother who has asked us not to use her surname, said her child was attending Claylands three days a week when she received an email giving five days' notice of its closure. She lives 'minutes' from the City of Edinburgh Council boundary. 'It was a really stressful time as more than 50 people were looking for last-minute places all at once,' she said. 'We looked at one nursery in West Lothian, but because of our working patterns, it would have added about an hour to our commute, and we would have to pay for a second car to make pick-ups and drop-offs possible due to our hours, so we went with an Edinburgh nursery which was much closer.' Though Kirstin felt 'lucky' to find a nursery she is happy with, the sudden move had a big impact on her then almost two-year-old, who went from being content at drop-offs to 'screaming and crying and clinging to us'. 'It was horrible,' she said. 'It had a real impact on his confidence.' The family got through a difficult transition with the help of additional leave from work. Now almost three, her son has settled and 'loves the nursery and the staff', but his place will not be funded by Edinburgh Council. Kirstin has decided not to move him again this year. Instead, the family will make 'sacrifices' to afford £10,000 worth of fees over the next two years, though they will reassess in her son's preschool year. 'It's hugely frustrating,' she added. 'The council took this decision [about cross-boundary funding] without assessing the impact on children, and it's been left to parents to sort it out. I feel it should be up to the council and the Scottish Government should recognise that its policy is not being upheld.' Father Sam Illingworth lives in West Lothian, just metres from the City of Edinburgh Council boundary. His youngest daughter was settled in a private nursery just over the Edinburgh boundary. But since she has turned three, they have been unable to secure funding for her place there. They found a council nursery nearby, but as it doesn't have enough hours available, they had to 'top-up' their hours by continuing to use the private one. He has gathered testimonies from other parents whose work patterns rule out available council nurseries and others unable to find funded places that work with their commute. Earlier this month, he set up a petition calling on Edinburgh City Council to reversve its decision on funding. 'The frustration is that West Lothian was willing to reimburse Edinburgh in terms of the funding,' he said. 'We understand that council budgets are stretched – of course we do – but we dispute that they can make the savings they claim. It feels like this decision is ideological.' Sharon Fairley, chief executive of the Scottish Private Nurseries Association and owner of the Little Flyers chain, claimed the problems stemmed from the decision to move away from the centralisation of funding in 2020. 'It means that councils are nursery providers but are also making decisions on who gets funding,' she said. 'This is a conflict of interest. This can be solved by moving back to a centralised payment system.' She claimed there had also been widespread issues in other council areas, with 'unfair' payment funding distribution. In recent years, hundreds of third sector and private nurseries have closed, with many blaming problems on a lack of 'fair funding'. Bruce Adamson, a professor in child law at the University of Glasgow, said the issue was about 'children's rights and fairness'. 'The high cost of living in Edinburgh means that many parents and carers who work in Edinburgh live in neighbouring local authorities, but need childcare close to their work,' he added. 'The City of Edinburgh Council's decision to block funded nursery places for children living outside the city risks breaching children's rights. 'We should be making it easier – not harder – for children to get high-quality early learning and childcare. The Scottish Government needs to step in to protect families and uphold children's rights.' Women, he claimed, were more likely to 'bear the brunt of childcare gaps'. A study by the Fawcett Society from November 2023 found that almost a quarter of a million women had left their jobs due to the difficulty of balancing work and childcare. Anna Ritchie Allan, executive director of charity Close the Gap, which campaigns on gender-based inequality in work, said: 'It's clear the childcare system isn't working for women and their families, especially those on low incomes. Local variation in how funded hours are delivered further penalises many women.' READ MORE: Protesters go on strike in Israel demanding ceasefire and hostage releases However, councillor James Dalgleish, the education, children and families convener at Edinburgh City Council, insisted it 'follows national guidance in offering funded early learning and childcare (ELC) for children in Edinburgh and work in partnership with a range of providers to ensure that all parents and carers in Edinburgh are able to access quality funded early learning and childcare'. City of Edinburgh Council does offer its own local authority nursery provision to families living in neighbouring local authorities, he added, though it is currently not accepting new private or third sector providers as partner nurseries. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Local Authorities have a statutory duty to make available funded early learning and childcare to the children residing within their own area and are also responsible for meeting the statutory guidance requirements in relation to cross-boundary placements. 'We encourage local authorities to work with neighbouring areas to ensure publicly funded services meet the needs of families and prioritise children's wellbeing, including those who need cross-boundary placements.'
