Salmond at Leveson: the unanswered questions about his dealings with the Murdochs

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/scotland-blog/2012/jun/12/salmond-leveson-murdoch

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Alex Salmond has put a great deal of emphasis on his appearance at the Leveson inquiry this week, using it to deflect demands from opposition leaders to explain why he courted the Murdochs and whether or not he was ever hacked.

The first minister has been under intense pressure over his relationship with Rupert and James Murdoch after evidence to Leveson in April showed he offered to lobby the UK government to help News Corp win overall control of BSkyB, while also having successful talks with the Sun to win its political backing at the Holyrood elections in May 2011. Speaking after Rupert Murdoch confirmed in evidence to Leveson that he had approved the Scottish Sun's endorsement of the Scottish National party, Salmond insisted his promise to lobby for the Murdochs was entirely justified:

That's perfectly legitimate Scottish government behaviour. We will put forward what we believe to be in the best interests of jobs and investment in Scotland, and we will do that regardless of which company it is.

He later told MSPs that he was interested in "jobs, jobs, jobs, not muck, muck, muck", and added:

I will be going to Leveson inquiry and I will be speaking specifically about a range of matters under oath, and that's where I shall give my evidence, which is exactly the right thing to do. [It is] an inquiry set up on a cross-party basis.

A number of documents submitted to Leveson by News Corp said that Salmond and at least one close aide, named later as Geoff Aberdein, made a series of promises and offers to Murdoch's adviser, Fred Michel, in late 2010 and early 2011 including:

• In November 2010, Salmond offered to brief the Scottish media on the economic importance of BSkyB in Scotland.

• In the same conversation, he offered to lobby Vince Cable, the business secretary then evaluating News Corp's take-over bid for BSkyB, to support News Corp.

• On 3 March 2011, at a critical time for the Murdochs' bid, Salmond called Michel directly and offered to approach Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary. Documents released by Hunt to Leveson later showed that a call from Salmond was due to take place that afternoon, although it did not take place.

• In the same phone conversation, Salmond told Michel he had had successful talks with Andy Harries, the Scottish Sun's editor at the time, to confirm that the paper would endorse his party at the election. Salmond also offered to host the Murdochs at dinner at his official residence in Edinburgh before the election.

In April, the Sun formally backed the Scottish National party, publishing interviews with Sir Sean Connery in support of Salmond and independence, which were paid for by the SNP.

In February this year, Salmond became one of the few remaining political leaders to continue a friendship with Rupert Murdoch, hosting the media baron, Tom Mockridge, News Internationals' chief executive, and Michel at lunch at his official residence at Bute House in Edinburgh.

Several days later, two of Murdoch's most famous ex-editors, Kelvin McKenzie and Andrew Neil, both suggested that Murdoch had signalled to Salmond that he might move BSkyB's headquarters to Scotland if it became independent and Salmond honoured his pledge to heavily cut corporation tax.

The first minister and his officials have refused to answer dozens of questions put by opposition MSPs and asked by journalists about the arrangement he reached with the Murdochs, as well as rebuffing questions by all three main opposition leaders about whether he was ever hacked by the News of the World.

James Murdoch and Salmond have repeatedly denied any inappropriate behaviour or deals. Murdoch told Leveson the Sun's endorsement "was absolutely not a quid pro quo" for Salmond's backing on BSkyB. "I simply won't make that trade. It would be inappropriate to do so. I simply don't do business that way."

The questions Salmond could well face at Leveson include:

• What independent evidence did the first minister have to support his position that allowing News Corporation to take over BSkyB would be better for the Scottish economy and increase the number of jobs and investments in Scottish facilities?

• Did the first minister ask Scottish Enterprise, the government's investment agency, for its views on whether News Corp's takeover would benefit Scotland more than allowing it to remain owned by numerous shareholders?

• Did the first minister consult John Swinney, his finance secretary, or Scottish government civil servants on whether they believed that the takeover was good for Scottish jobs?

• If BSkyB's investments in Scotland were so essential, why did Salmond not issue any public statements in favour of the Murdoch takeover bid or write to Vince Cable, the business secretary, or Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, to formally support the takeover in his role as first minister?

• If there was no linkage between BSkyB and the Sun, why did he discuss the BSkyB bid with the Murdochs and Michel in the same conversations where the Scottish Sun's political support for the Scottish National party was also discussed?

• Did he or the Murdochs directly link or imply any linkage between those two issues in any conversation?

• Has he at any time discussed the Scottish National party's proposals to cut corporation tax with Rupert Murdoch?

• Did Murdoch indicate in response that he would consider moving News Corps or News International's headquarters if Scotland became independent and cut corporation tax and if so, when?

• Did Salmond or any Scottish government minister or official gave a briefing to the media on the economic importance of BSkyB investments in Scotland, as he promised Michel? If so, when and by and with whom?

• When did Salmond first become aware that his parliamentary aide and speech-writer, Joan McAlpine, who conducted and wrote the Connery pre-election interviews for the Sun for free, had been a possible hacking victim of the News of the World? Did he raise that issue with the Murdochs or any other executive in News International? If so, when and with whom?

• Which members of his private office or his team of special advisers dealt with Michel or the Murdochs? Did his chief spokesman, Kevin Pringle, take part in any conversations, meetings or exchanges of emails with News Corp or the Murdochs? If so, when and how?

Salmond has insisted he behaved impeccably in his dealings with the Murdochs, and is expected to have submitted a detailed witness statement and other supporting documents to Leveson before he gives evidence. His critics will be curious to discover what he felt unable to tell the Scottish parliament last month.

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