SNP chief executive Peter Murrell will return to give more evidence to a Scottish Parliament committee today.
Murrell, the husband of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, will face MSPs looking into the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints made against Alex Salmond.
He last appeared at the committee in December but opposition parties have since raised questions about the evidence he gave.
The Conservatives had threatened to trigger a vote on whether Sturgeon misled Parliament if Murrell did not re-appear. The committee’s agenda for this morning says it will discuss “division between Scottish Government and party political matters”.
Convener Linda Fabiani has previously sought clarity from Murrell on a meeting between Sturgeon and her predecessor Salmond at the couple’s Glasgow home on April 2, 2018. During this meeting, the First Minister was told by her predecessor of complaints of harassment made against him.
READ MORE: Peter Murrell may have 'perjured himself' in evidence to Alex Salmond inquiry
Responding to a letter from Fabiani, Murrell said Sturgeon had mentioned the planned meeting the night before it took place. He wrote: “My recollection is that Nicola mentioned to me on the Sunday evening that Mr Salmond would be visiting the next day, April 2, 2018. I have nothing further to add to my written and oral evidence on this matter.”
The committee is due to be finishing its inquiries this month, with Salmond due to appear before MSPs tomorrow and Sturgeon the following week. However, there is some doubt whether the former First Minister will attend as scheduled after the committee refused to publish his written submission last week.
The committee won’t publish his written evidence saying the inquiry needs to “comply with relevant court orders”. But the submission had already been given (and widely publicised by the media) to a separate inquiry being conducted by James Hamilton into whether or not Sturgeon broke the ministerial code. She has denied doing so.
Reports have said Salmond may give a press conference tomorrow unless the committee reverse their decision over publication of his material.
Meanwhile, it emerged over the weekend that some MSPs are considering quitting the inquiry.
One member of the committee told the Sunday Post they felt they had no choice but to consider their position.
They said: “There is some very serious thinking going on at the moment.
“We are here, in good faith, to do a job and if it is felt we cannot do that job, for whatever reason, then that poses a hard question for all of us.”
Another source told the paper: “In any normal democracy a committee like this would be uncovering evidence and facts that were not in the public domain,” he said.
“Anyone can read this statement apart, apparently, from the committee of inquiry. It is beyond farce.”
READ MORE: MSP claims Alex Salmond probe risking its credibility as key evidence withheld
Sturgeon’s spokesperson has said the First Minister is relishing the chance to appear at the committee to tackle “the absurd, contradictory and – as we started to see this week, utterly baseless – conspiracy theories that have been allowed to spread, unchecked and unchallenged.”
MSPs are investigating the Scottish Government’s flawed probe into allegations of misconduct made against Salmond. He had the exercise set aside with a judicial review declaring it “unlawful” and “tainted by bias”.
The Government’s botched handling ultimately cost the taxpayer more than half a million pounds.
Salmond was later charged with sexual assault but cleared on all counts at a trial last March.
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