Scottish Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth has criticised former cabinet minister Sir David Davis for using parliamentary privilege to make allegations about Nicola Sturgeon, stating he should have aired his views publicly rather than hiding behind legal protections in the House of Commons.
Gilruth Responds to Davis’s Remarks
Speaking at Glasgow Central station on Friday, Ms Gilruth declined to address Sir David’s accusations directly but emphasised that if he held those views, he should have expressed them openly. “David Davis, as I understand it, has made a number of comments under parliamentary privilege so I’m not going to comment on those. I think if those were his views, perhaps he should have shared them publicly and not hidden behind parliamentary privilege, as seems to have been the case in this instance,” she told the Press Association.
She added that the recent court case involving Peter Murrell had a clear victim: the Scottish National Party. “I think it’s fair to say that we had a court case in Scotland very recently, and of course there was a victim in relation to the trial of Peter Murrell, and that was the Scottish National Party.”
Davis’s Allegations in Parliament
On Thursday, Sir David Davis used parliamentary privilege to accuse Ms Sturgeon of “stitching up” his friend Alex Salmond and being part of a “cover-up” regarding SNP finances. He also claimed she had “lied” about her knowledge of her ex-husband Peter Murrell’s crimes. Murrell was jailed for more than five years in June after pleading guilty to embezzling over £400,000 from the SNP over 12 years. Ms Sturgeon has strongly denied any knowledge of the embezzlement and has spoken of feeling “betrayed” by her former husband.
Sturgeon’s Lawyer Calls Davis a ‘Coward’
In response, a spokesperson for Ms Sturgeon accused Sir David of being a “coward” for hiding behind parliamentary privilege. “This member of the ‘Old Boys Club’ has been spreading conspiracy theories on behalf of the late Alex Salmond since 2021 – and now he is telling more lies about me. The fact that he hides like a coward behind the legal privilege of Westminster says everything we need to know about him,” the statement said.
Parliamentary privilege protects MPs from civil defamation lawsuits for statements made in the Commons chamber. Ms Gilruth noted that the Scottish Government’s position on the issue has been “well documented”.
