A Holyrood committee has concluded that Nicola Sturgeon gave an 'inaccurate' account of her meetings with Alex Salmond in 2018, effectively accusing the first minister of misleading the Scottish parliament. The committee ruled by five votes to four, with opposition MSPs voting in favour and SNP members against, that Sturgeon's evidence was incorrect.
The finding stops short of accusing Sturgeon of knowingly misleading parliament, which would be a clear breach of the ministerial code and a resignation matter. However, the conclusion significantly increases pressure on Sturgeon and the Scottish National party just seven weeks before the Holyrood elections.
Sturgeon defended her evidence, stating that opposition members had made up their minds before she testified. She pointed to an independent review by James Hamilton, former director of public prosecutions in Ireland, which is expected to report soon on whether she breached the ministerial code.
The Scottish Conservatives are preparing a no confidence motion against Sturgeon. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said the party already believes she misled Holyrood and should resign. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar described the situation as 'incredibly serious' if the final report confirms a breach of the ministerial code.
The committee's report is expected to be published on Tuesday, the day before Holyrood is dissolved for the election campaign. The inquiry was established after Salmond won a legal challenge against the Scottish government over its handling of sexual harassment complaints against him.
