Labour MSP Demands Faked Letter Answers

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Wednesday, 25 January 2012

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Hugh Henry MSP

Alex Salmond's most senior civil servant, Sir Peter Housden, was today drawn into the growing row over letters concocted by Alex Salmond's top spin-doctor and read out to the Scottish Parliament.

The letter, purporting to be from a world-leading referendum expert, claimed backing for the idea of a multi-option referendum, and was read to the Scottish Parliament by Alex Salmond last October. Mr Salmond later apologised for misleading the parliament, but attention has focused on why his senior special adviser, Kevin Pringle, faked the letter and then tried to cover up the facts.

Yesterday the full extent of the cover-up was disclosed, with previously unseen emails from the special adviser published for the first time. Today Hugh Henry, who made the original complaint to the permanent secretary, is asking why the full set of emails was withheld from him in November.

At the time, the permanent secretary cleared Mr Pringle from breaching strict civil servant rules on honesty and truthfulness on the basis of four emails which were published at the time. Since then two additional emails, both highly significant, have come to light. They were quietly placed in the Scottish Parliament in the days before Christmas, and only given to Labour Party researchers after a successful freedom of information appeal.

Labour MSP Hugh Henry said today:

"I want to know why the Permanent Secretary concealed these two letters from me during the investigation into Kevin Pringle's conduct. They show Alex Salmond's most senior adviser warning the academic that he intended to mislead journalists and, significantly, asking him not to speak to any journalists in case - presumably - he exposed the fabrications being spun.

"When I asked the Permanent Secretary for copies of all the relevant correspondence between Mr Pringle and the academic, I was told there were four emails in question and given a copy of the four in a letter to me dated 29 November. When my researcher submitted a freedom of information request, he was also told there were four. Since then, two additional emails have come to light.

"Such a flagrant abuse of power needs to be examined carefully. If an MSP seeks and receives information on a matter so serious as the First Minister reading fake letters to parliament, then that MSP is entitled to believe they have got the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

"This isn't an episode of Yes Minister. This is about the future of our country. Civil servants cannot condone this kind of behaviour, let alone be party to it.

"I am writing to the Permanent Secretary today to ask him to explain himself. If he cannot provide me with very good reasons as to why he withheld this information during the investigation, I will refer the matter to the head of the civil service and will also be demanding an answer as to whether or not there has been deliberate fraud in the way the matter has been handled.

"The politicisation of the civil service must be resisted at all costs and never more so than at the time Scotland makes its biggest choice for 300 years. Civil servants cannot be part of the referendum campaign any more they would be part of an election campaign."