Notes of Nicola Sturgeon meetings about abuse scandal lost
Labour MSP blasts ‘laughable’ claim that minutes were not taken during legal discussions

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Records of two meetings attended by Nicola Sturgeon and senior government lawyers about the Alex Salmond sexual abuse allegations have been lost, the first minister’s deputy has claimed.
John Swinney, the deputy first minister of Scotland, yesterday told the inquiry into the handling of the claims against Salmond that “we have not identified any record of minutes having been prepared or previously held by the Scottish government”.
The lost notes refer to a meeting attended by Sturgeon, Scotland’s most senior civil servant Leslie Evans and the Scottish government’s legal counsel on 2 and 13 November 2018 during which “Salmond’s legal challenge to the investigation of sexual misconduct claims against him” was discussed, The Telegraph reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Asked whether inquiries had been made into whether the lawyers present held any notes from the meeting, Swinney replied that only “a small number” of emails exist that indicate that “adjustments to the pleadings for the judicial review” were discussed.
Responding to Swinney’s claim that the minutes were either lost or never existed, Jackie Baillie, the deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party and a member of the inquiry, said that it was “frankly laughable” to suggest that no notes would have been taken.
Ahead of what the Daily Mail describes as a “dramatic vote of no confidence” in Swinney tabled by the Scottish Conservatives for this afternoon, Baillie added that Labour MSPs would have “no choice” but to back the motion if no further information was forthcoming.
However, the paper adds that the “pro-independence” Scottish Greens may have “saved Swinney from having to resign after stating they would oppose the motion”. The party said that the vote was a “Tory plot” to try and claim a “political scalp”.
The vote comes “amid fury at the refusal to release full legal advice” given to Sturgeon over the handling of the investigation into Salmond, the Daily Mail adds. The first minister has repeatedly “denied breaking the ministerial code by defying lawyers and continuing to fight a judicial review brought by her predecessor”.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Joe Evans is the world news editor at TheWeek.co.uk. He joined the team in 2019 and held roles including deputy news editor and acting news editor before moving into his current position in early 2021. He is a regular panellist on The Week Unwrapped podcast, discussing politics and foreign affairs.
Before joining The Week, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the UK and Ireland for German newspapers and magazines. A series of features on Brexit and the Irish border got him nominated for the Hostwriter Prize in 2019. Prior to settling down in London, he lived and worked in Cambodia, where he ran communications for a non-governmental organisation and worked as a journalist covering Southeast Asia. He has a master’s degree in journalism from City, University of London, and before that studied English Literature at the University of Manchester.
-
Should you fire your financial adviser? 4 signs it's time to say goodbye.
The Explainer Breakups are never fun, but you have to protect your wallet
By Becca Stanek Published
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
What to expect from an El Niño winter
The Explainer Things might be different thanks to this well-known weather phenomenon
By Devika Rao Published
-
Why is the UK pushing Germany on fighter jets for Saudi Arabia?
Today's big question Berlin has opposed the sale of weapons to Riyadh on humanitarian grounds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Is it time the world re-evaluated the rules on migration?
Today's Big Question Home Secretary Suella Braverman questions whether 1951 UN Refugee Convention is 'fit for our modern age'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rishi Sunak's tree code: what is the PM's election strategy?
Today's Big Question Conservative leader lining up major policy announcements in bid to rebrand as 'change' candidate
By Elliott Goat Published
-
Will Rishi Sunak's green wedge issue win over the public?
Today's Big Question The PM draws dividing line with Labour on net zero ahead of the next general election
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Industry backlash as Sunak set to water down green pledges
Speed Read Automotive and energy bosses look for clarity after PM backs away from UK net zero goal
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
October by-elections: what's at stake for Labour, Lib Dems and Tories
Parties will contest two former safe Tory seats on 19 October, putting pressure on Rishi Sunak
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Jobs for the boys: does the UK need a minister for men?
Conservative MP calls for dedicated cabinet role to combat 'crisis' in men's mental health and education
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Has populism had its day in the UK?
Today's Big Question Trump-style politics may be on the wane in the UK but it has cast a long shadow over Westminster
By Sorcha Bradley Published