Swinney accused of code breach
JOHN Swinney has been accused of breaching the ministerial code over claims he withheld evidence from Holyrood’s harassment inquiry – and then contributed to a book.
A complaint has been sent to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urging her to launch an investigation into whether her deputy has broken key rules of office.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie has also called for a probe into whether special advisers and officials spoke to authors of a book detailing the breakdown of Miss Sturgeon’s relationship with Alex Salmond.
Miss Baillie was on the Holyrood committee looking into the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints, while Mr Swinney was the leading minister. She has written to Miss Sturgeon expressing concern over new revelations which only emerged in a book, rather than in the parliament. in August, journalists Kieran Andrews and David Clegg published Break Up: How Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon Went to War. it details allegations against Mr Salmond and the collapse of the relationship between the pair who had been friends and colleagues for decades.
Miss Baillie believes Mr Swinney spoke anonymously to Mr Andrews and Mr Clegg for the book, a move she believes would breach the ministerial code.
in a letter sent on September 1 to Miss Sturgeon, she wrote: ‘it appears the Deputy First Minister, special advisers and civil servants cooperated with the authors.’
She added that she hoped Miss Sturgeon could ‘instruct an urgent investigation into whether the Deputy First Minister, special advisers or civil servants have breached their respective codes of conduct’.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We have responded in full to Miss Baillie’s letter, and confirmed that there is no need for an inquiry.’