Pic:Alex Salmond: (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Political reporter(wp/es):
Will the decision whether to charge Alex Salmond over sexual harassment be wholly impartial? Allegations against the former First Minister and leader of the SNP, right, have reportedly been passed to the police. At the time of going to press, no charges had been brought. But the decision rests with the Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC.
Wolffe was appointed by current First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon in June 2016. Though he is a member of the Scottish Government, his decisions about criminal prosecutions are independent. But that independence will come under severe scrutiny as he decides whether to press charges against a senior figure in the party to whom he owes his appointment. “Would a minister appointed by the Scottish Government really want to embarrass the SNP?” asks a source in Labour.
Salmond resigned from the SNP last night after more than 45 years as a member, including 20 as leader. Two complaints have been levelled against him about his conduct when he was First Minister in 2013. One allegation is that he touched and kissed a woman in Bute House, his official residence, despite her asking him to stop. Salmond has strongly denied the allegations.
He has taken the Scottish Government to court over the way it has handled the complaints against him. Salmond called the procedure “grossly unfair”, adding that he believed it would lead to “prejudicial outcomes”.
In a statement last night, Salmond said he was resigning from the SNP because he did not enter politics to “facilitate opposition attacks on the SNP”. But he added that he intended to “reapply for SNP membership just as soon as I have had the opportunity to clear my name”.
Salmond’s action against the Government relates to its handling of the complaints against him, not the reported police investigation into the allegations. But this aspect of the episode could become just as politically charged as Salmond’s battle with his government.
A Scottish Conservative spokesman told us this morning: “The nature and severity of the accusations against Alex Salmond mean this process must be water-tight. As the Lord Advocate was appointed by the Scottish Government, many will think there is a risk that the process may not be as robust as it could be."
During Gina Miller’s 2016 High Court Brexit case she received so many threats she hired a personal protection officer.
In her new book Rise, she recalls getting into the car with him and noticing an umbrella — puzzling because the day was clear.
“The umbrella was so heavy I could barely get it off the ground,” she writes. “According to the agent it was used to fend off anyone intent on attacking me.”
She asked if it opened and he said it did. “If someone throws something at you, it acts like a shield.”
Boy George has no idea why Madonna dislikes him. “She hates me! I don’t know why. I’ve always been a secret Madonna fan, really. I’ve got quite a few of her records.” Maybe it’s because the Culture Club singer called Madonna a “vile, hideous, horrible human being with no redeeming qualities” in a 2006 documentary?
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Daily Mail Editor Paul Dacre said goodbye to staff yesterday with a letter — he has always favoured notes. His language was typically Daily Mail, using words like “risibly”, “contemptibly”, and “joyous”, and he apologised for not saying farewell in person: “I didn’t want to set a precedent and make the paper late!”
Elton John sings happy birthday to his godson Romeo Beckham
Romeo Beckham celebrated an early 16th birthday yesterday with sparklers, chocolate cake and, of course, a chorus of violinists and his godfather Elton John singing a capella.
“Early birthday celebrations!” Victoria wrote on a video post to Instagram. “From the best godparents, Elton John and David Furnish.”
Romeo, whose birthday is actually on Saturday, was bashful; sister Harper bobbed about happily, while David appeared unperturbed by the speeding charge he faces for allegedly driving his Bentley at 59mph in a 40mph zone. His case has been adjourned until September.
The group have been treating fans to fun family Instagram shots showing them sunbathing topless on yachts and eating in expensive restaurants. Back in London, Sir Elton and Furnish will be working on the Rocket Man biopic, due for release next year.
SW1A
Soviet specialist Anne Applebaum schooled Jeremy Corbyn after footage emerged of the leader saying that “Nato was founded in order to promote a Cold War with the Soviet Union”. The Pulitzer Prize winner corrected these “elementary mistakes”, explaining that Nato was “a reaction” to Soviet imposition in eastern Europe, “not the cause”.
Tony Blair has been holding informal meetings in the US — or more precisely, in Babette’s in the Hamptons, a restaurant also beloved by Bill Clinton. The former Prime Minister bought smoothies for himself and his small security detail and, according to a New York gossip column, was “dressed like a weekending world leader” in a beige blazer, white shirt and casual trousers. Could someone bring the golf cart round to the front, please?
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