The continuing furore over Alex Salmond’s relationship with Rupert Murdoch threatens to overshadow the local government elections.
The First Minister faced further questions about his dealings with the under-fire media tycoon as he made a blitz of media appearances on Monday as part of the SNP campaign for the crunch vote on Thursday.
Mr Salmond admitted to serving the News Corp chairman a Tunnock’s tea cake when he visited Bute House in Edinburgh.
But he added: ”The point I am making is very clear the Labour Party had a 15-year love affair with News International and now start talking about other people’s meetings.
”The point and difference I would make is that whoever I meet, if they are major employers and BSkyB employ 6,700 direct jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs then I will advance the Scottish interest.”
But with Prime Minister David Cameron forced to answer an urgent question on Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s involvement with Mr Murdoch, Scottish Labour again attacked Mr Salmond over his failure to make a statement at Holyrood.
Parliamentary business manager Paul Martin said: ”The First Minister must make a statement now and he must urgently meet with other party leaders to set up our own parliamentary inquiry into phone-hacking and the Murdochs.
”If Westminster can do it, why can’t the Scottish Parliament? If Alex Salmond refuses the only conclusion we can come to is that he is protecting his rich pal Rupert Murdoch again.”
And Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, who was campaigning in Dundee, said the developing scandal was a reason not to vote for Nationalist councillors.
”Alex Salmond’s support for Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers over phone hacking shows that the SNP will do anything to secure independence,” he said.
But SNP MSP Humza Yousaf said: ”More than ever Scotland needs ‘can-do’ councils that will work together and with the Scottish Government to deliver a socially progressive Scotland.
”Only the SNP can be trusted to protect family budgets in difficult financial times.”
Photo by David Cheskin/PA Wire