Former First Minister Humza Yousaf has accused his predecessor Alex Salmond of abusing his power while in office.<\/p>\n Mr Salmond, who was cleared of allegations of sexual impropriety<\/a> in the High Court in 2020, said he had a “sleepy cuddle” with one complainer in his official residence. <\/p>\n Responding to the criticism, made in a new BBC documentary, he said Mr Yousaf had been \u201creduced to smears\u201d in a \u201cquest for relevance\u201d.<\/p>\n Concerns are also raised in the show about Mr Salmond’s temper, with one former colleague saying she was brought to tears. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The former first minister has previously defended his conduct in government, and has said that he is resting on the verdict of his trial.<\/p>\n He has accused high-ranking members of the government led by his prot\u00e9g\u00e9, Nicola Sturgeon, of conspiring against him – something she dismissed as “absurd”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mr Salmond led the government between 2007 and 2014, with Ms Sturgeon succeeding him.<\/p>\n Their relationship broke down following complaints about his conduct, both to Scottish government officials and to the police.<\/p>\n Mr Salmond successfully took civil legal action against Ms Sturgeon’s administration for its handling of an internal investigation – ruled to be “tainted with apparent bias” – and was awarded \u00a3500,000<\/a>. <\/p>\n At the subsequent criminal trial, Mr Salmond admitted to having a “sleepy cuddle” with one complainer and what his defence lawyer called “a bit of how’s your father” with another. <\/p>\n Both members of staff were considerably younger than the ex-first minister. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mr Yousaf, who replaced Ms Sturgeon after she unexpectedly resigned last year<\/a>, told the BBC documentary that the first minister is ordinarily the most powerful person in the room.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can choose to use that power appropriately or you can choose to abuse it,” the former SNP leader said. <\/p>\n “And on too many occasions, given the behaviour that Alex has already admitted, there was too many instances of that abuse of power.\u201d<\/p>\n He also said the civil court defeat made the government look “incompetent”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mr Salmond branded his critic \u201cHumza the brief\u201d, calling him \u201cthe new self-appointed authority on personal conduct and morality\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI am comfortable with my contribution as first minister to advancing Scotland\u2019s interests and the cause of independence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI doubt Humza can say the same, nor that it will be said of him.\u201d<\/p>\n Posting about the documentary on X<\/a>, Mr Salmond suggested he regretted taking part in what he did not consider to be \u201cserious programming\u201d.<\/p>\n He said the second episode, which focused on the investigations into allegations of harassment, \u201cplumbed new depths even for the BBC\u201d.<\/p>\n The BBC has been asked to comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the documentary, Mr Salmond said he regretted that he no longer spoke to Ms Sturgeon.<\/p>\n “I don’t really do hurt feelings very much … but it’s a big regret that Nicola and I are no longer on speaking terms,” he said. “And I seriously doubt if it’s going to improve.”<\/p>\n The ex-SNP leader added: “Now that’s a great pity, because I did indicate that you shouldn’t say anything is forever, but that’s the way it looks and that’s just the way it’s going to be.<\/p>\n “We’ll just have to let the past take care of itself.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A Holyrood inquiry into the government’s handling of complaints against Mr Salmond found Ms Sturgeon had misled MSPs over a meeting with her predecessor in her home in 2018, but cleared her of breaching the ministerial code<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2021, Mr Salmond launched the Alba Party. It has been highly critical of Ms Sturgeon, Mr Yousaf and current first minister John Swinney.<\/p>\n Ms Sturgeon said Mr Salmond was “for a long time, a very positive force in my life”, adding: “But I think I had to learn how to be myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mr Salmond described himself as a “tough taskmaster” when he was in charge of the government. <\/p>\n Ms Sturgeon said her predecessor was prone to “outbursts” and that his temper “was out of control” at times. <\/p>\n She said while people in the SNP had \u201clearned to put up with\u201d it, she suggested it was not \u201cactually always acceptable\u201d when in government.<\/p>\n Former SNP MSP Linda Fabiani told the documentary: “Alec would let rip. <\/p>\n “The first time it happened to me I was so shocked, a little bit tearful on the way home.\u201d <\/p>\n She said she did not consider it bullying.<\/p>\n Mr Salmond’s former adviser Geoff Aberdein said he was sacked seven times. \u201cFor some reason he\u2019d always expect to see me the next day,” he added. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mr Aberdein also said that his former boss was \u201cvery, very angry\u201d about losing his Westminster seat in 2017<\/a>, believing he had been “let down” by the party.<\/p>\n Following the election defeat, Mr Salmond launched a show on Russian state broadcaster RT<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ms Sturgeon said her former mentor knew how difficult the job was, adding: “Shouldn\u2019t he have tried a bit harder to make sure that managing his ego wasn\u2019t one of the problems that landed on my desk?\u201d<\/p>\n Liz Lloyd, Ms Sturgeon’s ex-chief of staff, told the documentary: “It was a real sign that he didn\u2019t really care how he was perceived any more. <\/p>\n “He was going to do what served him and not what served the party, not what served the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Salmond, who suspended his RT show in 2022<\/a> following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said his successor had been “annoyed” because she had not been told about the show before it launched. <\/p>\n He added: “I wasn\u2019t a member of parliament. The simplest thing to say was Alec makes his choices, I make mine, full stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mr Salmond is in an ongoing legal battle against the Scottish government<\/a>, alleging that no-one was held \u201caccountable\u201d for the botched handling of its harassment inquiry.<\/p>\n He lodged a Court of Session petition alleging misfeasance – the wrongful exercise of lawful authority – by civil servants. The government said it would defend its position \u201crobustly\u201d.<\/p>\n SNP MSP Fergus Ewing – a former cabinet minister and frequent critic of the recent party leadership – claimed there had been a \u201cconcerted campaign\u201d to \u201cdestroy\u201d Mr Salmond by senior figures in Ms Sturgeon\u2019s government.<\/p>\n He told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland<\/a> programme that the ex-first minister’s reputation was \u201centirely intact\u201d after being acquitted. <\/p>\n Asked about Mr Salmond’s leadership style, Mr Ewing said: \u201cYou need a strong leader you don\u2019t need a shrinking violent. Who amongst us is perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n During the Scottish Parliament inquiry, Ms Sturgeon dismissed as \u201cabsurd\u201d suggestions that anyone in her government acted with \u201cmalice\u201d or as part of a \u201cplot\u201d. \u201cThat claim is not based in any fact,\u201d she told MSPs.<\/p>\n She said that while mistakes were \u201cundoubtedly\u201d made, the government \u201ctried to do the right thing\u201d.<\/p>\n Salmond and Sturgeon – A Troubled Union is available on BBC iPlayer<\/a> from Tuesday, as well as being broadcast on the BBC Scotland channel on Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Claudia](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/20f9\/live\/e145d430-6ec4-11ef-8c1a-df523ba43a9a.jpg.webp\")
Claudia Massie\/Firecrest Films<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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Claudia Massie\/Firecrest Films<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nSalmond hits back <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Claudia](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/76ed\/live\/71e30ca0-6ec6-11ef-8c1a-df523ba43a9a.jpg.webp\")
Claudia Massie\/Firecrest Films<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘He didn\u2019t really care’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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PA Media<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n