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| Nicola Sturgeon says Alex Salmond conspiracy claims 'absurd' | Nicola Sturgeon says Alex Salmond conspiracy claims 'absurd' |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Nicola Sturgeon says claims of conspiracy against Alex Salmond 'absurd' | |
| Claims that people close to her were involved in a plot against Alex Salmond are "absurd", Nicola Sturgeon has insisted. | Claims that people close to her were involved in a plot against Alex Salmond are "absurd", Nicola Sturgeon has insisted. |
| The first minister was speaking at the inquiry into her government's unlawful handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond. | The first minister was speaking at the inquiry into her government's unlawful handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond. |
| She apologised to the two women who had made the complaints, saying they were let down by a "very serious error". | She apologised to the two women who had made the complaints, saying they were let down by a "very serious error". |
| But she rejected much of Mr Salmond's version of events. | But she rejected much of Mr Salmond's version of events. |
| Mr Salmond has previously claimed several people within the SNP and Scottish government - including Ms Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell, the party's chief executive - were involved in a "deliberate, prolonged, malicious and concerted effort" to damage his reputation, even to the extent of attempting to have him imprisoned. | |
| Ms Sturgeon said she had "thought often" about the impact of the past three years on Mr Salmond, but said Mr Salmond had shown no sign of thinking of others. | Ms Sturgeon said she had "thought often" about the impact of the past three years on Mr Salmond, but said Mr Salmond had shown no sign of thinking of others. |
| The seven key questions facing Nicola Sturgeon | The seven key questions facing Nicola Sturgeon |
| What is the Salmond and Sturgeon row all about? | What is the Salmond and Sturgeon row all about? |
| Could Alex Salmond bring down Nicola Sturgeon? | Could Alex Salmond bring down Nicola Sturgeon? |
| The Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon story | The Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon story |
| She said she had watched Mr Salmond give evidence to the inquiry committee last Friday and had found herself "searching for any sign at all that he recognised how difficult this had been for others too". | She said she had watched Mr Salmond give evidence to the inquiry committee last Friday and had found herself "searching for any sign at all that he recognised how difficult this had been for others too". |
| The first minister added: "First of all, for women who believed his behaviour towards them was inappropriate. | The first minister added: "First of all, for women who believed his behaviour towards them was inappropriate. |
| "But also for those of us who have campaigned alongside him, worked with him, cared for him, and consider him a friend - who now stand unfairly accused of plotting against him." | "But also for those of us who have campaigned alongside him, worked with him, cared for him, and consider him a friend - who now stand unfairly accused of plotting against him." |
| Mr Salmond told the inquiry last week that he had "no doubt" that Ms Sturgeon had breached the ministerial code. | Mr Salmond told the inquiry last week that he had "no doubt" that Ms Sturgeon had breached the ministerial code. |
| Ms Sturgeon acknowledged that Mr Salmond had been cleared of all of the sexual assault allegations against him by a High Court jury. | |
| But she added: "I know just from what he told me that his behaviour was not always appropriate. | But she added: "I know just from what he told me that his behaviour was not always appropriate. |
| "And yet across six hours of testimony, there was not a single word of regret, reflection or even a simple acknowledgement of that. | "And yet across six hours of testimony, there was not a single word of regret, reflection or even a simple acknowledgement of that. |
| "I can only hope that in private, the reality might be different." | "I can only hope that in private, the reality might be different." |
| Ms Sturgeon said the moment Mr Salmond showed her a letter detailing the complaints against him was "a moment I will never forget". | Ms Sturgeon said the moment Mr Salmond showed her a letter detailing the complaints against him was "a moment I will never forget". |
| She said: "Although he denied the allegations, he gave me an account of one of the incidents, the complaints, of which he said he had apologised at the time. | She said: "Although he denied the allegations, he gave me an account of one of the incidents, the complaints, of which he said he had apologised at the time. |
| "What he described constituted in my view deeply inappropriate behaviour on his part." | "What he described constituted in my view deeply inappropriate behaviour on his part." |
| And she told the cross-party committee of MSPs that Mr Salmond had been one of the "closest people to me in my entire life". | |
| She added: "I would never have wanted to 'get' Alex Salmond - I would never, ever have wanted any of this to happen. I had no motive, intention or desire to 'get' Alex Salmond." | |
| Ms Sturgeon was Mr Salmond's deputy for many years before succeeding him as SNP leader and first minister in 2014 | Ms Sturgeon was Mr Salmond's deputy for many years before succeeding him as SNP leader and first minister in 2014 |
| The inquiry is examining the Scottish government's botched handling of sexual harassment complaints made against Mr Salmond by two female civil servants. | The inquiry is examining the Scottish government's botched handling of sexual harassment complaints made against Mr Salmond by two female civil servants. |
| Ms Sturgeon is facing calls to quit from Scottish Conservatives after new documents released on Tuesday evening raised further questions about her involvement in the saga. | Ms Sturgeon is facing calls to quit from Scottish Conservatives after new documents released on Tuesday evening raised further questions about her involvement in the saga. |
| Calls for Sturgeon to quit over Salmond revelations | Calls for Sturgeon to quit over Salmond revelations |
| The government published emails showing it continued a doomed legal fight with Mr Salmond despite its lawyers advising it was likely to lose. | The government published emails showing it continued a doomed legal fight with Mr Salmond despite its lawyers advising it was likely to lose. |
| It ended up paying Mr Salmond's legal fees of more than £500,000, on top of its own costs, after the investigation was found to have been unlawful and "tainted with bias". | It ended up paying Mr Salmond's legal fees of more than £500,000, on top of its own costs, after the investigation was found to have been unlawful and "tainted with bias". |
| Further evidence from two other witnesses also called into question Ms Sturgeon's account of meetings she had with Mr Salmond and Geoff Aberdein, his former chief of staff. | |
| Ms Sturgeon told the inquiry the meetings were not recorded because of her desire to "protect the independence and confidentiality" of the complaints process. | Ms Sturgeon told the inquiry the meetings were not recorded because of her desire to "protect the independence and confidentiality" of the complaints process. |
| And she said she did not agree with Mr Salmond's assertion that there had been a "shared understanding" of what the meeting in Ms Sturgeon's home was to be about. | |
| Nicola Sturgeon is focusing on her account of two meetings when she first found out about allegations against Alex Salmond. | |
| This is the most dangerous part of this complex story for the first minister. | |
| This isn't just a matter of a few days. If Ms Sturgeon knew what the second meeting was about, it's claimed she would have known it was government business and she should have reported it to civil servants at the time. That didn't happen. | |
| Ms Sturgeon is telling the committee she did so to protect the process - and defending claims it was a party, not government matter. | |
| Mr Salmond used his evidence session last week to accuse his former protege of repeatedly misleading parliament, and said he had "no doubt" she had breached the ministerial code. | Mr Salmond used his evidence session last week to accuse his former protege of repeatedly misleading parliament, and said he had "no doubt" she had breached the ministerial code. |
| Ms Sturgeon said the government had made a "very serious mistake" in how it had applied a newly-devised procedure to the complaints against Mr Salmond. | Ms Sturgeon said the government had made a "very serious mistake" in how it had applied a newly-devised procedure to the complaints against Mr Salmond. |
| But she has repeatedly denied breaching the code - which sets out how government ministers are expected to behave. | But she has repeatedly denied breaching the code - which sets out how government ministers are expected to behave. |
| Ms Sturgeon's husband, Peter Murrell, has denied Mr Salmond's claim that he was involved in plotting his downfall | |
| She told the inquiry: "Two women were failed, and taxpayer's money was lost - I deeply regret that." | She told the inquiry: "Two women were failed, and taxpayer's money was lost - I deeply regret that." |
| However the first minister insisted that the complaints procedure was not put in place to target Mr Salmond, as some of his supporters have claimed. | However the first minister insisted that the complaints procedure was not put in place to target Mr Salmond, as some of his supporters have claimed. |
| She told the committee that she was not aware of any allegations or concerns about sexually inappropriate behaviour on the part of Mr Salmond until a media enquiry from Sky News was made in November 2017. | She told the committee that she was not aware of any allegations or concerns about sexually inappropriate behaviour on the part of Mr Salmond until a media enquiry from Sky News was made in November 2017. |
| She also said no complaints had been brought to her which she could have acted on when she was deputy first minister to Mr Salmond. | She also said no complaints had been brought to her which she could have acted on when she was deputy first minister to Mr Salmond. |
| Ms Sturgeon added: "Have I for my entire working life been aware of problems of sexual harassment and sexism and misogyny? You bet I have. | |
| "But to say things were brought to me or that there were things I could have acted on - that's not the same thing." | "But to say things were brought to me or that there were things I could have acted on - that's not the same thing." |