Timeline of the Alex Salmond scandal explained

The Alex Salmond scandal refers to the political scandal in Scotland concerning the behaviour of former First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, and his successor, former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.^[1] The scandal created a feud within the Scottish National Party and a ministerial code investigation into Sturgeon conducted by James Hamilton, which ultimately concluded that she did not break the ministerial code over her conduct with Salmond.

The following is a timeline of events that happened in the Alex Salmond political scandal.

2017

• December: Scottish Government staff begin informal contacts with women alleging sexual misconduct by Alex Salmond.^[2]

2018

• January: Two female staff members make formal complaints to the Scottish Government about Alex Salmond's conduct, dating back to when he was First Minister in December 2013. An internal inquiry is established and Judith McKinnon is appointed Investigating Officer (IO).^{[3] [4]}
• March: Alex Salmond is informed of the investigation.^[3]
• 29 March: Sturgeon meets with Salmond's former chief of staff, Geoff Aberdein, in her office at Holyrood.^{[5] [6]}
• 2 April: Salmond meets with Sturgeon at her private residence in Glasgow. Liz Lloyd, Sturgeon's chief of staff, is also present. The meeting is not minuted.^{[7] [8]}
• 23 April: Salmond and Sturgeon speak via telephone.^[8]
• 6 June: With Salmond seeking a further meeting, Sturgeon informs the Scottish Government's Permanent Secretary, Leslie Evans, that she knows about the inquiry into harassment complaints, has discussed it with Salmond, and that he is considering legal action.^{[3] [9]}
• 7 June: Sturgeon and Salmond again meet.^{[3] [8]}
• 14 July: Salmond again meets Sturgeon at her private residence in Glasgow.^{[3] [8]}
• 18 July: Salmond and Sturgeon speak via telephone. By Sturgeon's account, this is their last meeting.^{[3] [8]}
• 22 August: Salmond is informed that the government inquiry is complete. Leslie Evans tells him and Nicola Sturgeon that she intends to make the fact of the complaints public.^[3]
• 24 August: The Daily Record reports that Salmond had been reported to the police over claims he sexually assaulted two Bute House staff members as First Minister. Salmond tweets a statement denying misconduct and calling some allegations "patently ridiculous". He announces that he is launching a judicial review of the way the investigation was handled, calling it "unjust". Nicola Sturgeon publishes a statement admitting awareness of the investigation but denies any role in its process. Leslie Evans publishes a statement defending the inquiry, claiming that Salmond's statement "contains significant inaccuracies which will be addressed in court".^{[3] [10]}
• 25 August: The Scottish Government rejects claims by Alex Salmond that confidential information was leaked to the press, insisting that the inquiry has at all stages been "entirely confidential". Salmond again claims innocence at a press conference.^[3]
• 29 August: Salmond formally begins his judicial review of the government's handling of harassment complaints against him. He also resigns his membership from the Scottish National Party.^{[11] [12]}
• 30 August: The Scottish Parliament establish the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints to investigate the Scottish Government’s handling of the affair.
• 31 August: Then-senior counsel for the government, Roddy Dunlop QC, warns the government that the revelation that the Investigating Officer had previously met and briefed the two complainers was "extremely concerning".^[4]
• 14 September: Police Scotland confirms that it has launched an investigation into complaints against Alex Salmond, separate to the Scottish Government investigation and judicial review.^[3]
• 6 November: The judicial review convenes in court for the first time, Lord Pentland presiding.^[3]
• 6 December: Leslie Evans is warned by Roddy Dunlop QC that Salmond's legal challenge will "more likely than not succeed".
• 14 December: Lord Pentland orders the independent review of redacted Scottish Government documents, which Salmond's legal team claims show that Scottish Government staff were in contact with Salmond's accusers as early as December 2017, in violation of Civil Service guidelines.^[2]
• 31 December: Evans chooses to concede the judicial review.^[3]

2019

• 8 January: The Scottish Government concedes defeat in the Court of Session, Scotland's supreme civil court. The Court declares the Scottish Government's inquiry unlawful on procedural grounds and Salmond is awarded £512,000 in legal costs.^[13]
• 13 January: Sturgeon refers herself to the independent ministerial ethics body after opposition parties raise concerns about her meetings with Salmond.^[14]
• 24 January: Police Scotland arrest Salmond, and he was charged with 14 offences, including two counts of attempted rape, nine of sexual assault, two of indecent assault, and one of breach of the peace.^[15]
• 21 November: Salmond appears before the High Court of Justiciary, entering a plea of "not guilty".^[16]

2020

• 9 March: HM Advocate v Salmond begins.^[17]
• 23 March: Salmond is cleared of all charges. A jury finds him not guilty of 12 charges, one charge was dropped by prosecutors earlier in the trial while one charge was found not proven.^[18]
• 6 August: The Scottish Government refuses to release legal advice surrounding the investigation into Salmond to the Scottish Parliament inquiry.^[19]
• 4 November: The Scottish Parliament votes 63-54 to demand the release of the Scottish Government's legal advice.^[20]
• 13 November: The Scottish Government misses the deadline to release legal advice to the Scottish Parliament inquiry.^[21]
• 8 December: Sturgeon's husband and Chief Executive of the SNP, Peter Murrell, gives his evidence to the Scottish Parliament's inquiry.^[22]

2021

• 26 February: Salmond goes before the Scottish Parliament's Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints.^[23]
• 2 March: Facing a vote of no confidence from the Scottish Parliament, Deputy First Minister John Swinney agrees to release the Scottish Government's legal advice on the Salmond investigation. The Scottish Government claims that the advice shows that there was no malicious intent against Salmond; opposition parties claim that it shows the Scottish Government handled the investigation into Salmond unlawfully.^{[24] [4]}
• 3 March: Sturgeon gives her evidence before the committee.^[25]
• 17 March: David Davis MP uses parliamentary privilege to criticise the Scottish Government's handling of the allegations against Salmond, claiming that there had been a "concerted effort" by SNP officials to encourage complainers to come forward, and that Sturgeon's chief of staff, Liz Lloyd, had been involved in the civil service investigation into Salmond in February 2018 – months before Nicola Sturgeon claimed to have known about the investigation. Sturgeon rejects Davis' claims, describing them as "the latest instalment of Alex Salmond's conspiracy theory," and re-iterates her confidence in Liz Lloyd.^{[26] [27]}
• 19 March: A leaked Scottish Parliament committee report on the handling of the government's allegations finds Sturgeon misled parliament.^[28] On the same day, Leader Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross, calls for her resignation or a motion of no confidence vote will be brought to parliament.^[29]
• 22 March: Sturgeon is cleared of breaching the ministerial code by a report by James Hamilton QC.^[30]
• 23 March: The official report of the Scottish Parliament's inquiry into the Scottish Government’s handling of sexual harassment allegations is found by a majority of votes that Sturgeon misled parliament.^[31] Opposition leader in Holyrood, Ruth Davidson, motions a vote of no confidence against Sturgeon. She survives the vote by 65 to 31 to reject the motion, with the Scottish Greens supporting the SNP and Scottish Labour and Liberal Democrats abstaining.^[32]
• 24 March: Salmond declares his intent to sue the Scottish Government for damages over the actions of Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, saying that she had failed to take responsibility for the mishandling of harassment complaints against him.^[33]
• 26 March: Salmond is announced as the new leader of the Alba Party and announces his intention to seek election at the May election.^[34]
• 6 May: The Scottish people vote at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. Sturgeon secures a third term and Salmond's new party fails to win any seats.^{[35] [36]}
• 23 September: Police Scotland announce that they are investigating the Daily Record's 28 August 2018 report on the allegations against Salmond as a potentially-unlawful leak of information, after investigations by the Scottish Government and the information commissioner failed to establish how the newspaper obtained the information. The investigation is codenamed Operation Newbiggin.^{[10] [37]}

2022

• 13 January: In reaction to the Alex Salmond scandal, the Scottish Government publishes its new procedure for dealing with harassment and bullying complaints against ministers, implementing a system of external investigators.^[38]
• April: The Crown Office launches an investigation into allegations of perjury committed during Salmond's criminal trial.^[39]

2023

• 24 November: Salmond launches a new legal case against the Scottish Government, alleging misfeasance by civil servants over the mishandling of the harassment inquiry, suing for damages of up to £3 million. Salmond agrees to a sist (pause) in proceedings until the Crown Office's perjury investigation is completed.^{[40] [41] [42]}
• 6 December: The Court of Session rejects a bid by the Scottish Government to prevent the publication of all evidence gathered by James Hamilton in his investigation into whether Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code over her conduct with Salmond.^[43]

2024

• 14 March: Operation Newbiggin concludes with no police action.^[37]
• 18 July: Sir David Davis MP, again using parliamentary privilege, names Liz Lloyd, Nicola Sturgeon's ex-chief of staff, as the person responsible for leaking the allegations against Salmond to the Daily Record in 2018.^[44]

See also

• Alex Salmond sexual harassment scandal
• HM Advocate v Salmond
• Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints

Notes and References

1. News: 2021-03-23. Salmond and Sturgeon: What is the controversy all about?. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-02.
2. News: Alex Salmond legal win over redacted documents . BBC News . BBC . 14 December 2018 . 19 August 2024.
3. News: 2019-01-15. Timeline: The Alex Salmond investigation. en-GB. BBC News. 2024-08-06.
4. News: 2021-03-02. Scottish Government publishes Salmond legal advice. en-GB. Holyrood Magazine. 2024-08-07.
5. Web site: Witnesses dispute Nicola Sturgeon account of meetings with Alex Salmond. 2021-08-02. The National. 2 March 2021 . en.
6. Web site: 2021-03-22. Timeline: the major developments so far in the Sturgeon and Salmond affair. 2021-08-02. the Guardian. en.
7. Web site: Salmond affair: Government confirms Sturgeon had previously undisclosed meeting. 2021-08-02. HeraldScotland. 3 August 2020 . en.
8. News: Nicola Sturgeon denies conspiring against Alex Salmond. BBC News. 10 January 2019.
9. Web site: 2020-08-18. Sturgeon told of Salmond allegations earlier than thought, inquiry told. 2021-08-02. the Guardian. en.
10. Web site: 2021-09-23. Alex Salmond inquiry leaks being investigated by police. 2024-07-31. BBC News. en.
11. News: 2018-08-29. Ex-SNP leader Alex Salmond resigns from party. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-02.
12. Web site: 2018-08-29. Alex Salmond resigns from SNP after sexual misconduct claims. 2021-08-02. the Guardian. en.
13. Web site: 2019-08-13. Alex Salmond receives £512,000 costs after 'botched investigation'. 2021-08-02. the Guardian. en.
14. Web site: 2019-01-13. Nicola Sturgeon refers herself to ministerial watchdog over contact with Alex Salmond. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nicola-sturgeon-alex-salmond-scottish-government-ministerial-code-a8725806.html . 7 May 2022 . subscription . live. 2021-08-02. The Independent. en.
15. Web site: Grafton-Green . Patrick . Tobin . Olivia . 2019-01-24 . Ex-Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond charged with attempted rape . 2021-08-02 . www.standard.co.uk . en.
16. News: Alex Salmond accused of sexual assaults on 10 women. 21 November 2019. BBC News. 21 November 2019.
17. News: Woman tells court Alex Salmond 'pounced' on her . BBC News . 9 March 2020.
18. News: 2020-03-23. Alex Salmond cleared of all sexual assault charges. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-02.
19. News: 2020-08-06. Ministers refuse to release Alex Salmond legal advice. en-GB. BBC News. 2024-08-07.
20. News: 2020-11-04. MSPs demand release of Salmond case legal advice. en-GB. BBC News. 2024-08-07.
21. News: 2020-11-13. Scottish government misses Alex Salmond legal advice deadline. en-GB. BBC News. 2024-08-07.
22. Web site: Alex Salmond inquiry likely to recall SNP chief exec and Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell. 2020-12-10. www.scotsman.com. 9 December 2020 . en.
23. News: 26 February 2021 . Salmond accuses Sturgeon of presiding over ‘failures of leadership’ . Financial Times . 2021-08-02.
24. News: 2021-03-02. Scottish government to release legal advice on Salmond court action. en-GB. The Guardian. 2024-08-07.
25. Web site: Recap: Nicola Sturgeon gives crucial evidence to Salmond committee amid quit calls. 2021-08-02. HeraldScotland. en.
26. Web site: 2021-03-17. Alex Salmond complaints were 'encouraged' claims Conservative MP. 2024-08-01. BBC News.
27. Web site: 2021-03-17. Nicola Sturgeon 'refutes' MP's claims about Alex Salmond row. 2024-08-01. BBC News.
28. News: 2021-03-19. MSPs on Alex Salmond committee say Nicola Sturgeon misled them. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-02.
29. Web site: Douglas Ross calls for Nicola Sturgeon's resignation. 2021-08-02. uk.news.yahoo.com. 19 March 2021 . en-GB.
30. Web site: 2021-03-22. Nicola Sturgeon cleared of breaching ministerial code. 2021-08-02. STV News. en-GB.
31. Web site: 2021-03-23. Nicola Sturgeon misled Scottish Parliament, says inquiry. 2021-08-02. POLITICO. en-US.
32. News: 2021-03-23. Sturgeon survives Holyrood confidence vote over Salmond row. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-02.
33. News: 2021-03-24. Alex Salmond to take Scottish government to court again. en-GB. BBC News. 2024-07-31.
34. Web site: 2021-03-26. Alex Salmond launches new independence-focused Alba party. 2021-08-02. the Guardian. en.
35. Web site: 2019-10-03. Nicola Sturgeon wins 'historic' third term for the SNP in Scottish Parliament election. 2021-08-02. Holyrood Website. en.
36. Web site: Davidson. Peter. 2021-05-08. Alex Salmond fails to win seat in election as voters reject ex-First Minister. 2021-08-02. Daily Record. en.
37. Web site: 2024-03-14. No police action after Alex Salmond leak investigation. 2024-07-31. BBC News.
38. News: 2022-01-13. New external system for complaints against Scottish ministers. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-02.
39. Web site: 2022-04-03. Crown Office investigating 'perjury' claim over evidence given to Alex Salmond trial. 2024-08-07. The Herald.
40. News: 2023-11-24. Alex Salmond launches legal action against Scottish government. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-02.
41. News: 2023-11-24. What is behind Alex Salmond's new legal fight with the Scottish government?. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-02.
42. Web site: 2023-11-24. Nicola Sturgeon facing court quiz in Alex Salmond legal action. 2024-08-07. The Herald.
43. News: 2023-12-06. Judge throws out bid to withhold Nicola Sturgeon inquiry evidence. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-02.
44. News: 2024-07-18. David Davis names Nicola Sturgeon’s aide as Salmond leak source. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-02.