Post by om15 on Oct 5, 2023 8:50:58 GMT
Rishi Sunak has been reported to police in Scotland for joking during his Tory conference speech that Nicola Sturgeon could go to prison.
Chris McEleny, the general secretary of Alex Salmond’s Alba Party, made a complaint to Police Scotland alleging that the Prime Minister had committed contempt of court.
Although Ms Sturgeon has not been charged with any offences, he pointed out contempt proceedings in Scotland start after an individual has been arrested.
In June Ms Sturgeon was interviewed as a “suspect” by detectives investigating the SNP’s finances. She was later released without charge pending further investigations and has since denied any wrongdoing.
The Prime Minister used his keynote speech to the Tory conference to state that the Union was “the strongest it has been in a quarter of a century”.
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He then delivered the jibe about the police investigation into the SNP’s finances, prompting widespread hilarity from conference delegates.
“Nicola Sturgeon wanted to go down in the history books as the woman who broke up our country but it now looks like she may go down for very different reasons,” Mr Sunak said.
“We are a remarkable combination of four nations with a proud history, and that history should give us enormous confidence in our future.”
But Mr McEleny said: “The Prime Minister is commenting on, and making an assumption about a live Police Scotland investigation.
“In Scotland contempt applies from arrest, not from charging. Operation Branchform is investigating serious matters of the utmost importance.”
He added: “It is too important a matter to allow interference from the Prime Minister in this act of contempt when many people await the facts of Police Scotland’s investigation.”
Support for the SNP has been in a tailspin since Ms Sturgeon’s sudden resignation in February and the high-profile police investigation into the party’s finances.
Chris McEleny, the general secretary of Alex Salmond’s Alba Party, made a complaint to Police Scotland alleging that the Prime Minister had committed contempt of court.
Although Ms Sturgeon has not been charged with any offences, he pointed out contempt proceedings in Scotland start after an individual has been arrested.
In June Ms Sturgeon was interviewed as a “suspect” by detectives investigating the SNP’s finances. She was later released without charge pending further investigations and has since denied any wrongdoing.
The Prime Minister used his keynote speech to the Tory conference to state that the Union was “the strongest it has been in a quarter of a century”.
tmg.video.placeholder.alt Ya7INY7R9rU
He then delivered the jibe about the police investigation into the SNP’s finances, prompting widespread hilarity from conference delegates.
“Nicola Sturgeon wanted to go down in the history books as the woman who broke up our country but it now looks like she may go down for very different reasons,” Mr Sunak said.
“We are a remarkable combination of four nations with a proud history, and that history should give us enormous confidence in our future.”
But Mr McEleny said: “The Prime Minister is commenting on, and making an assumption about a live Police Scotland investigation.
“In Scotland contempt applies from arrest, not from charging. Operation Branchform is investigating serious matters of the utmost importance.”
He added: “It is too important a matter to allow interference from the Prime Minister in this act of contempt when many people await the facts of Police Scotland’s investigation.”
Support for the SNP has been in a tailspin since Ms Sturgeon’s sudden resignation in February and the high-profile police investigation into the party’s finances.
You couldn't make this nonsense up. I am not a big fan of his, but this was a good thing to do.
