NICOLA Sturgeon’s position is being “jeopardised” by claims of “murky goings-on” in the Alex Salmond case, one of her former advisers has claimed.

Campbell Gunn, who worked for Salmond and Sturgeon, wrote that “one or two people losing their jobs” over the Government’s botched handling of the controversy would be a “political price worth paying”.

A Holyrood committee is investigating how the Scottish Government handled complaints of harassment against Salmond when he was First Minister.

Salmond took the Scottish Government to court in a civil action, with the court ruling the inquiry had been unlawful and tainted by apparent bias. The Government paid Salmond more than £500,000 in expenses.

In an article for the Press and Journal, Gunn, a former Sunday Post political editor and Salmond’s former spokesman, wrote: “The remedy is simple and straightforward. Avoid the drip-drip of allegations over a long period of time, by getting everything – whether damaging or not – into the open immediately.

“Take the short-term hit for long-term gain. If that means one or two people are forced to resign or are sacked by the First Minister, then surely that’s what has to happen.”

On Sturgeon, Gunn wrote: “No-one wants to see Scotland head for independence more than me. And I firmly believe that Nicola Sturgeon is, by a distance, the best person to lead us to that goal.

“But her position is being jeopardised by the almost daily allegations that there were murky goings-on behind the scenes that led to the sexual harassment and criminal charges being laid against Alex Salmond.”

He offered advice: “The solution for the Scottish Government is clear. Don’t cover up. Get everything out in the open.

“Take the inevitable media hit. It will last only a few days or a couple of weeks, instead of months.

“If the revelations result in one or two people losing their jobs, that must surely be a political price worth paying.”