Scottish leader cleared of misconduct in boost for pro-independence camp
Sturgeon gets reprieve after being cleared of misconduct
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was cleared on Monday of breaking a ministerial code of conduct in the way she handled sexual harassment complaints against her predecessor, a ruling likely to save her career and her party's electoral prospects.
James Hamilton, a widely respected Irish lawyer appointed to conduct an independent inquiry into Sturgeon's conduct, found that she had not breached the ministerial code. Had he reached the opposite conclusion, she would have been expected to resign.
"I am of the opinion that the First Minister did not breach the provisions of the Ministerial Code in respect of any of these matters," Hamilton said in his eagerly awaited report.
He rejected suggestions that she had broken the rules by failing to record meetings with Salmond in 2018, that she tried to influence an investigation into his behavior, or that she misled the Scottish parliament.
The report comes at a crucial time in Scottish politics, with elections due in May. Sturgeon has vowed to press for a second referendum on independence from the UK if her Scottish National Party (SNP) wins an absolute majority.
The latest polls suggest that an endless stream of negative headlines about the Sturgeon/Salmond feud have dented the SNP's popularity. Sturgeon welcomed the findings.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon takes part in a doorstep clap in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore at St Andrews House on February 3, 2021 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo: VCG
Sturgeon has been under intense scrutiny over what she did and did not do when she learnt of complaints by several women against Alex Salmond - once her close friend and ally in the cause of Scottish independence, now an implacable enemy.James Hamilton, a widely respected Irish lawyer appointed to conduct an independent inquiry into Sturgeon's conduct, found that she had not breached the ministerial code. Had he reached the opposite conclusion, she would have been expected to resign.
"I am of the opinion that the First Minister did not breach the provisions of the Ministerial Code in respect of any of these matters," Hamilton said in his eagerly awaited report.
He rejected suggestions that she had broken the rules by failing to record meetings with Salmond in 2018, that she tried to influence an investigation into his behavior, or that she misled the Scottish parliament.
The report comes at a crucial time in Scottish politics, with elections due in May. Sturgeon has vowed to press for a second referendum on independence from the UK if her Scottish National Party (SNP) wins an absolute majority.
The latest polls suggest that an endless stream of negative headlines about the Sturgeon/Salmond feud have dented the SNP's popularity. Sturgeon welcomed the findings.
