Nicola Sturgeon 'won't jump to conclusions' on MP Thomson

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-34499652

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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she will not jump to conclusions in the case of MP Michelle Thomson.

Questions have been raised about the property business Ms Thomson ran before she was elected to parliament.

Christopher Hales, a solicitor who carried out work for her, has been struck off by the Law Society of Scotland. Ms Thomson has denied any wrong-doing.

Ms Sturgeon said even MPs are entitled to the presumption of innocence.

In a wide-ranging interview on the Marr Show on BBC One, the first minister also defended the creation of Police Scotland to replace the country's eight regional forces.

Vetting processes

Ms Thomson was part of the large intake of new nationalist MPs returned at this year's general election.

Ms Sturgeon told Andrew Marr: "As a party we've quadrupled in size over the past year so that makes it all the more important that we make sure systems like vetting processes are robust and fit for purpose.

"We will learn any lessons that require to be learned."

Ms Thomson, who was elected as the SNP MP for Edinburgh West in May, has resigned the party whip at Westminster.

The first minister said it was important for the investigations into Ms Thomson's business activities to be allowed to run its course.

Ms Sturgeon added: "I'm simply not prepared to jump to conclusions about an investigation that is currently under way.

"Even MPs are entitled to the presumption of innocence.

"I know it's not a fashionable view but it's one that I think it's important to stress."

Police Scotland

The first minister was also asked about the decision to merge Scotland's eight regional forces.

She was questioned about whether Police Scotland had produced the cost savings projected for it and whether it was performing well enough in answering emergency calls.

She said: "A single police force and creating a single police force was the right thing to do because it has allowed us to make savings.

"Once you have one chief constable instead of eight chief constables, with all of the attendant bureaucracy that goes with that, so unlike in England we're not seeing the numbers of police officers on our streets plummet.

"We're addressing the difficulties that the police service has faced but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that moving to a single police force has been the right thing to do."