Sturgeon making Salmond claims because he cannot defend himself, niece says
Ms Sturgeon made several claims about her predecessor in her memoir Frankly, which was published last week.
She accused Mr Salmond of creating conspiracy theories over sexual harassment allegations and said he did not read the independence white paper before the referendum in 2014.
Ms Sturgeon also said Mr Salmond 'wanted to destroy me' and would have rather seen the SNP fail than succeed without him.
Appearing on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Hendry criticised Ms Sturgeon.
She said: 'The way I see it is if my uncle was here today, these things would not be being said.
'I believe they are being said because he's not here to defend himself, as he would have done with every fibre of his being.'
Asked what she thought had motivated Ms Sturgeon to make the claims now, Ms Hendry said: 'I'm unsure. I think there's been a few people questioning that.
'But I think the timing of these things being said – there's been a number of years where they've not been said, that these things could have been said, and the timing of it now, where she's released the book and is looking to publicise that.
'I think many people have thought that could be the case.'
In her book, Ms Sturgeon said Mr Salmond had never produced a 'shred of evidence' that he was a victim of a conspiracy, adding that he admitted to her the substance of one of the complaints against him.
A judicial review into the Scottish Government's handling of complaints against Mr Salmond found the investigation was tainted by apparent bias while a court cleared him of all charges.
Ms Hendry said: 'The bottom line is he was cleared in the highest court in Scotland and I think I'm unsure as to why it's being brought up.
'I do think there were people conspiring against him, and I think there's the truth will still come out.
'There are things to still come out in the public, and I think there are many people who should be thinking about their actions.'
Ms Hendry added that her family was united in pursuing legal action against the Scottish Government over its botched harassment probe.
In December, she announced she would run to be an MSP in one of Mr Salmond's former seats.
Ms Hendry said she would contest the Banffshire and Buchan Coast seat for Alba that her uncle had planned to campaign in before his death in North Macedonia in October.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
How could Labour shake up the property tax system in the Budget?
Radical new ways to tax property are reportedly being considered by the Treasury ahead of the next autumn budget as chancellor Rachel Reeves looks to bolster public finances. Plans to overhaul stamp duty and council tax, as well as a 'mansion tax' to cover the sale of high-value homes, are all on the table, sources have said in recent days. Ms Reeves is understood to have asked officials to calculate how these new 'proportional' taxes would work in the UK, all of which would aim to target wealth more directly. The overhaul would see a national property tax replace stamp duty on owner-occupied homes. Council tax could also be replaced with a local property tax, helping to boost ailing local authority finances. Another speculated plan would see capital gains tax payable by the seller on high-value properties. Under current rules, everyone is exempt from the levy when selling their primary residence. Here's how the plans would change the UK tax landscape. How would the 'mansion tax' work? In the UK, capital gains tax is payable on the sale of most high-value assets. This includes property, stocks and possessions worth over £6,000. Under current rules, a homeowner does not generally need to pay capital gains tax on the sale of a property which has been their primary residence during the time they have owned it. This would change under the proposed plans when the value of the property of the house being sold is worth £1.5 million or more, although this threshold is said to be under consideration. The way capital gains tax works for property sales sees sellers required to work out the 'gain' they have made on the asset. This is usually the difference between what they paid for the property and the amount they sold it for. If this is above, or takes the seller above, their capital gains tax allowance – £3,000 every year – they will need to report and pay the tax. For higher or additional rate income tax payers, the rate is 24 per cent. For those on the basic rate, it's 18 per cent. Several property experts have reacted negatively to the idea. Colleen Babcock, Rightmove's property expert, said: "In essence, this would predominantly be a tax on the most expensive areas of London and the South East. 'The London market is already feeling the effects of taxation more acutely than other parts of England, and this is likely to deter some moves at the upper end.' Meanwhile, Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, said: 'A mansion tax set at a high level would naturally cause people to worry it was just the thin end of the wedge, and the next time the government needs a bit of money they could just lower the threshold.' What is stamp duty and how could it change? Under current rules, stamp duty is a levy paid by the buyer of residential property, varying based on the price of the property and whether it is their first purchase. The amount owed is slightly different depending on who is buying, as first-time buyers are given stamp duty relief and benefit from lower rates. In 2023/24, the levy brought in £11.6 billion for the government. The plans to replace the tax have reportedly drawn on the findings of a report from centre-right think tank Onward, published in August last year. Their recommended policy would see a new tax introduced on the sale of a property when it is worth above £500,000. This levy would be proportionate to the property's value, and paid at a rate set by HMRC. It would be payable by the new owner of the property, only on the amount above £500,000. This would mean the owners of a property worth just over the threshold would pay a 'trivial' amount, according to the report. Could council tax be replaced? Another mulled concept would see council tax replaced with a new local property tax, complementing the 'national' property tax. It will be a tax on property value paid by the owner, the Onward report explains, and at a rate set by each local authority. This should be levied on values up to a cap of £500,000 in a bid to ensure that the richest areas are not able to set far lower rates than those with less valuable properties. This would address a key criticism of the council tax system - that how properties are valued is unfair and inaccurate. The 'band' of council tax that all properties pay is based on values last evaluated in the 1990s, which have become drastically outdated in many places. The local property tax concept would instead see tax liable on properties based on their value at the last point they were sold, meaning valuation would be regularly updated. However, both of the proposed taxes have been criticised as a tax that will disproportionately hit people living in areas where property prices are higher. The effect would be particularly acute in London, said chair of Martyn Gerrard Estate Agents Simon Gerrard, who told The Independent that it would amount to a 'London tax'. He said: 'Rightmove's latest figures for August show that the average price of a property in London is now £666,983. Upping taxes for properties over £500K is not making the wealthy pay their fair share, it's a tax on ordinary Londoners.'
The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Denmark to abolish VAT on books in effort to get more people reading
Denmark is to stop charging VAT on books in an attempt to get more people reading. At 25%, the country's tax rate on books is the highest in the world, a policy the government believes is contributing to a growing 'reading crisis'. The culture minister, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, announced on Wednesday that the government would propose in its budget bill that the tax on books be removed. The move is expected to cost 330m kroner (£38m) a year. 'This is something that I, as minister of culture, have worked for, because I believe that we must put everything at stake if we are to end the reading crisis that has unfortunately been spreading in recent years,' Engel-Schmidt told the Ritzau news agency . 'I am incredibly proud. It is not every day that one succeeds in convincing colleagues that such massive money should be spent on investing in the consumption and culture of the Danes.' Other Nordic countries also charge a standard rate of 25% VAT, but it does not apply to books. VAT on books in Finland is 14%, in Sweden 6% and in Norway zero. Sweden reduced its VAT on books in 2001, resulting in a rise in book sales, but analysis found they were bought by existing readers. 'It is also about getting literature out there,' said Engel-Schmidt. 'That is why we have already allocated money for strengthened cooperation between the country's public libraries and schools, so that more children can be introduced to good literature.' A total of 8.3m books were sold in shops and online in Denmark in 2023, according to the national statistics office. The country's population is just over 6 million. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion The most popular genre was books for the very young, picture books and activity books and the second-most popular was crime, thrillers and suspense novels. If prices do not fall as a result of the measure, Engel-Schmidt said he would reconsider whether it was the right course of action. 'I will of course monitor how prices develop. If it turns out that abolishing VAT only means that publishers' profits grow and prices do not fall, then we must consider whether it was the right thing to do,' he said.
The Herald Scotland
43 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Colin Smyth MSP suspended from Scottish Labour Party
ITV Border's Political Editor, Kieran Andrews wrote on X: "Labour MSP Colin Smyth has been suspended by the party. "Breaking news story which we'll update as more information comes to light." Mr Smyth, who has represented the South Scotland region since 2016, has been an active member of the Scottish Labour Party throughout his political career. He has held various positions within the party, including serving as spokesperson for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity from 2017 to 2021. READ MORE: Why Scotland needs a second phase of growth deals – and fast Scottish Government scraps Galloway and Ayrshire national park plan The MSP has also introduced significant legislation, such as the Commissioner for Older People (Scotland) Bill, aimed at establishing an independent advocate for older people's rights. As an independent MSP, Smyth will continue to serve his constituents. At this time, further details regarding the reasons for Smyth's suspension have not been publicly disclosed. The Scottish Labour Party has been contacted for comment. More to follow.
