THE SNP's chief executive Peter Murrell has said he wished he had expressed himself “more appropriately" in text messages which appeared to call for pressure to be put on the police over Alex Salmond.

However, in a submission to the Holyrood committee probing the Scottish Government’s botched handling of harassment complaints made against the former First Minister,  the party boss complained that the leaked messages had been presented to the public in a way which suggested a meaning "they do not in reality have".

Last month, a document containing the messages was passed on to the SNP MP Kenny MacAskill.

In one, sent to a senior SNP staff member on January 25, 2019 — the day after Salmond’s first appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Murrell wrote: “Totally agree folk should be asking the police questions.

“Report now with the [Procurator Fiscal] on charges which leaves police twiddling their thumbs.

“So good time to be pressurising them. Would be good to know Met looking at events in London.”

The second alleged message, said: “TBH the more fronts he is having to firefight on the better for all complainers. So CPS action would be a good thing.”

Police have now launched an inquiry into the leaking of messages.

In his letter to the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints, Murrell hit back at accusations he was trying to frustrate MSPs.

He said he and the SNP have co-operated with the committee "to the fullest extent possible".

In response to an earlier request, he said he had spoken to all 23 SNP staff members who report to him and none held information relevant to the committee.

He said no SNP staff had been aware of concerns which could have led to complaints under the Scottish Government procedure prior to them becoming public in August 2018.

Discussing the text messages between himself and an unnamed individual, he said they had been "presented in a way that suggests a meaning that they do not in reality have".

Murrell said his intention with the messages was to advise individuals with “specific, personal questions in relation to that criminal case” that they should contact the police. 

He said: "Acknowledging this context and the legal constraints that apply, and notwithstanding the fact that the messages do not relate to the committee's remit, I hope it will be helpful to the committee to provide an explanation of them.

"The messages were sent the day after Mr Salmond had been charged with a number of serious offences.

"In the aftermath of this, the SNP was contacted by individuals who had specific, personal questions in relation to that criminal case. My intention was to advise that their questions should be addressed to the police and not the SNP.

"I acknowledge that I did not express myself well but I suggest that in the context of such a criminal case, directing people to the police was the only responsible thing to advise.

"In relation to the second message, this has been presented as following on immediately from the first. That is inaccurate.

"However, my intended meaning was that any and all complaints should be appropriately investigated.

"The tone of it is a reflection of the shock, hurt and upset that I, and so many others in the SNP, felt that day given the events that had unfolded in court the previous day.

"As most people will appreciate, the immediacy of text messages lend themselves to informal, shorthand forms of expression but, even so, I would wish on reflection to have expressed myself more appropriately."

Sturgeon was asked about the messages at First Minister's Questions last week, but said: "I do not think it is reasonable for me to be asked questions about things that other people might or might not have done."

MacAskill has said the messages were "entirely inappropriate" and any attempt to influence criminal investigations was "unacceptable". He has called for Murrell to be suspended.